FUS ROH DAttebayo!
by Huoyingmi
Summary: Naruto! Naruto! By his honor is sworn! To keep, evil, forever at bay! And Akatsuki will route! When they hear triumph's shout! Naruto, for your, blessings we pray!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: It had to be done. I'd explain the back story but like the Elder Scrolls I think I'll let you find out as you go. And I'm lazy.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> I don't own Naruto or the rights to Skyrim. Though I do own a copy of Skyrim :D.

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><p><strong>-FUS ROH DAHttebayo!-<strong>

Kakashi heard a loud roar as he charged the lightning chakra to his hand.

'_Was that Naruto? I better hurry up here!'_

Kakashi turned to his opponent, who was currently trapped by Kakashi's ninja dogs.

"Your ambition sacrifices many people; that's not what a shinobi should do."

Zabuza glared at him.

"I don't give a damn…I fight for my own ideals…and that shall continue!"

Kakashi glared back.

"I'll ask once more. Surrender…your future is…"

Suddenly, Zabuza's eyes widened and he cried out, interrupting Kakashi.

"WHAT IN BLAZES IS THAT?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"You expect me to fall for…?"

Kakashi heard a massive crash behind him, which sent out a blast of air that knocked him forward. Kakashi released his jutsu as he fell, then stood up and looked behind him. Kakashi's eyes widened as he was stunned speechless. Sakura's sudden cry said it all.

"DRAGON!"

Standing on the bridge behind Kakashi, was a massive, brown dragon. As Kakashi tried to stand up, the dragon roared at him. Kakashi was thrown back by the force of the roar.

'_What power! There's no way a simple shout could contain such force!'_

Kakashi landed back by Zabuza, who was now free as the blast from the roar had dispelled Kakashi's dogs. The two jōnin stood up, only to see the dragon open its mouth. Suddenly they noticed it; the dragon's roars were not the feral growls of a creature. The sounds from its mouth were far too complex.

"**Yol…Toor Shul!**"

Kakashi and Zabuza had only a moment before they were engulfed in flames.

Sakura stood by, paralyzed with fear. She couldn't help even during the ninja fights, what could she do to stop a dragon from incinerating Kakashi?

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura closed her eyes, tears forming. She gasped as she felt Tazuna place a hand on her shoulder.

"Look girl, it's not over yet."

Sakura opened her eyes. There, mostly unharmed, stood Kakashi and Zabuza. In front of them was a wall of ice, Haku with her hands on the ice while flames burned the ground to the sides of the wall.

"Zabuza-sama! Are you all right?"

Zabuza shook his head, trying to make sense of what was happening. Kakashi answered instead.

"We're fine, for now. However…"

Kakashi glanced at Zabuza, and at the bruises on Haku. The fire blast cleared up the fog and Kakashi could clearly see Naruto as well, though he couldn't find Sasuke.

"None of us are currently capable of fighting this creature alone. Zabuza, I propose a temporary truce."

Zabuza's eye twitched and he took a breath to shout, but Kakashi cut him off.

"You couldn't escape my dogs, Zabuza. With your current chakra levels how do you plan on escaping a creature like that?"

Zabuza scowled under his bandage mask. Kakashi was right, they would have to work together to survive the next few minutes.

"Fine, what did you have in mind?"

"**Yol…Toor Shul!**"

Haku suddenly grabbed Zabuza and leapt out of the way. They turned to see the dragon flying over the water behind them.

"Zabuza! Use your suiton now!"

Zabuza began making the hand signs for his jutsu. Kakashi used his Sharingan to follow along. When they finished, they both spoke in sync.

"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu)!"

Two pillars of water shot into the air, forming giant, powerful dragons of water on both sides of the real dragon. The two water dragons lunged inward, but the dragon beat its wings and flew higher into the air as the two water dragons collided.

The three shinobi watched as the dragon circled overhead, and leapt quickly away as it landed where they were standing. Haku threw a round of senbon that bounced off the dragon's scales. Kakashi performed some more hand signs while the dragon was distracted.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu)!"

However, the dragon shrugged off the fireball without so much as a scorch mark.

'_I should've guessed it would be resistant to fire…'_

Zabuza leapt at the dragon, swinging Kubikiribōchō over his head. The dragon roared as the massive blade struck its head, and it spun around, knocking Haku into Kakashi and flinging Zabuza in the opposite direction. Kakashi looked up from under Haku; both Zabuza and Haku were out cold. Kakashi closed his eyes as he saw the dragon prepare for another fire blast.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)!"

Kakashi only saw orange as dozens of Narutos descended from the sky, landing on the dragon and trying to stab it with kunai. The dragon roared and tried to lift into the air, but another dozen Narutos landed on its wings, pinning them to the ground. The dragon snapped and launched fire blasts, dispelling Naruto clones in heaps, but Naruto kept making more to replace those lost. Kakashi pushed Haku off him.

"Great work, Naruto! Keep it up."

Kakashi performed his hand signs as quickly as he could. Even with his massive stamina, Naruto couldn't keep the dragon down for long. This might be their only chance.

Kakashi thrust his right palm down, gripping his wrist with his left. Chakra gathered into his hand and formed into lightning. Kakashi sprinted forward, heading straight for the dragon's head as the dragon breathed another blast of fire.

"Raikiri!"

Kakashi leapt into the air and thrust his hand towards the dragon, hitting it in the neck right behind the head. The dragon threw its head into the air, launching Kakashi across the bridge, and let out a massive roar before falling over and stopping. Two Naruto clones leapt into the air and caught Kakashi, then Naruto released the jutsu and all his remaining clones vanished in puffs of smoke.

"Kakashi-sensei! What the heck is that thing?"

Tazuna and Sakura ran over to the victorious pair, Tazuna answering Naruto's question.

"That's a dragon, believe it or not. It seems the legends were true…"

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING?"

The shinobi turned and saw Gatō standing in front of an army of thugs, who were all staring wide-eyed at the creature lying before them. Gatō cleared his throat and was about to speak when the dragon started glowing, causing all the thugs to gasp. Kakashi's eyes widened again.

"Get back, Naruto!"

The dragon's glowing skin started to burn off, and suddenly the dragon burst into waves of white, red, and orange light. The light waves shot through the air straight towards Naruto and surrounded him. Naruto cried out and tried to shield himself. Naruto was surprised though, as the waves did not hurt him at all, in fact he felt as if he was absorbing energy from them. The dragon finally stopped glowing; revealing nothing was left of it but a skeleton, while a glowing aura continued to surround Naruto. Kakashi jumped on the opportunity.

"Unless you want to feel the power of dragon chakra, I suggest you all pack up and go home. Gatō, you'll leave this country alone from now on."

Gatō gulped. On one hand, Kakashi seemed to be bluffing. But one moment a dragon was there and the next it was not and it was very clear where all that energy had gone. Being the businessman that he was, Gatō decided it was time to cut losses.

"V-Very well. All of you, change of plan. Let's go."

Once Gatō and his men were out of hearing range Kakashi let out a sigh of both relief and exhaustion as he pulled his headband back over his Sharingan. Sakura and Tazuna walked up to him and Naruto, both wide-eyed and staring at Naruto.

"Kakashi-sensei…what just happened?"

Kakashi was about to profess his own confusion when Tazuna took a step towards Naruto.

"I can't believe it…that brat is Dragonborn."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow while Sakura just looked confused.

"Dragonborn?"

Tazuna nodded.

"It was a very old, super-obscure legend my grandfather loved to tell me when I was young. I'll explain more when we get back; you all look like you could use a rest."

Kakashi couldn't argue with that; he was about ready to fall over after using the Sharingan, summoning, and two Raikiris. Kakashi headed towards Haku, knowing that Sakura would immediately check on Sasuke.

"Naruto! You're all right! What about Sasuke-kun, huh?"

Naruto frowned and looked away from Sakura. Sakura's eyes widened as her mind swiftly connected the terrifying dots. Sakura ran over and found Sasuke lying on the ground, needles stuck in him all over his body. Sakura began crying and hugging Sasuke. Sasuke, however, slowly opened his eyes and turned his head.

"Sakura…you're heavy…"

Sakura cried even more in joy as Sasuke slowly tried to stand up.

"What about…Naruto…and that...masked kid…?"

Sakura looked at Sasuke in concern.

"Naruto is fine! That masked kid is lying over there somewhere, knocked out by the dragon!"

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Did you just say dragon?"

Sakura moved out of Sasuke's line of vision and pointed at the skeletal remains of the beast.

"Y-yeah, we were attacked by a dragon…it nearly killed Kakashi-sensei, Zabuza, and that masked kid. But Naruto stopped it long enough for Kakashi-sensei to finish it off."

Sasuke's eyes widened more.

"What sort of jutsu did Kakashi use to do **that?"**

Sasuke pointed at the skeletal remains.

"N-no, sensei just killed it. Then it looked like it burned away and turned into light that flew into Naruto."

Sasuke's eyes widened even more, then he closed them and shook his head.

"I see…whatever."

Sakura smiled at Sasuke.

"I…had faith in you. It's impressive that you prevented attacks to your critical areas!"

Sasuke looked down.

"…no…"

As Sakura cried out and let Naruto know Sasuke was alive, Kakashi finished checking both of the missing-nin.

'_Hm…looks like Zabuza didn't make it…that was a hard collision. The girl would probably be dead too if she didn't land on me…I think one of my ribs might be cracked from that. Normally it would be better to kill her now…but the mission is over so we're not enemies and from the looks of it she didn't kill Sasuke when she could have, I suppose I'll return the favor.'_

Kakashi grunted and sealed Zabuza's body and sword inside a scroll, then slung Haku over his shoulder.

"Hey guys, let's get going. We all need to rest after that."

"Hey!"

The ninja and Tazuna looked up to see Inari leading a crowd of armed villagers.

"Where did everyone go? Don't tell me we missed it!"

-Tazuna's House, the next day-

Kakashi yawned as he walked downstairs. Everyone else was already up and sitting around the table eating breakfast. Not surprisingly Naruto and Sakura seemed fully recovered from the battle, after all Sakura had not done any direct fighting herself and Naruto and had abnormal stamina for genin, or living being in general. Sasuke was a bit worse off; death-like states taking slightly longer to recover from. Naruto and Sasuke appeared to be engaged in their daily eating contest while Sakura was trying to get them to stop. Tsunami smiled at the jōnin.

"Good morning, Kakashi-san. Please sit down."

Kakashi eye-smiled and waved his acknowledgement, too exhausted to respond verbally, and took his seat. He ate about half his meal in silence, building up the energy to deal with the next problem.

"So, Tazuna, what were you saying about Naruto earlier?"

Tazuna swallowed the last bite of food he took.

"Right, seems this kid is Dragonborn."

Sasuke, Naruto, Tsunami, and Inari all looked at Tazuna puzzled.

"Dragonborn?"

Tazuna grunted and nodded.

"The Dragonborn; born with the body of a mortal, but the soul of a dragon, or something like that. The old man would always sing a song too. Let's see how did it go…

_Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart._

_I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes._

_With a Voice-wielding power of the Ancient Nord art._

_Believe, believe, the Dragonborn comes._

_It's an end to the evil of all Skyrim's foes._

_Beware, beware, the Dragonborn's come._"

Everyone looked at Tazuna, even more confused than before, especially Naruto.

"So…uhhh…what's a Dragonborn?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Or a 'voice-wielding power'?"

Sakura nodded as well.

"And who or what is Skyrim?"

Tazuna shrugged.

"Heck if I know. Always thought the old man was super-crazy until yesterday. Don't remember half of what he said."

All the shinobi dead-panned at this.

"But…I do know one more thing. The old man liked to visit some ancient ruins deeper in the forest. I know it's not much to work on, but there might be some clues. After yesterday, I think it's worth a shot."

Kakashi nodded at that, it's not every day a dragon attacks you and is then absorbed into your genin student.

-Deep in the Forest-

Tazuna led the group through the forest until coming to a large hill.

"Here we are, should be at the top of this hill. Well, now that you know your way, I'll be getting back to the bridge."

With that, Tazuna headed back to the village. Team 7 began hiking up the hill, Naruto clearly excited.

"What do you think we'll find, Kakashi-sensei? An epic jutsu only I can use? A secret ramen recipe that's never been seen before?"

Kakashi sweat-dropped at the ramen comment.

"I can't really say, Naruto. To be honest I've never encountered anything like this before."

Sakura nodded slowly.

"Nothing we learned in the Academy is even close to this…"

Naruto grinned and put his hands behind his head.

"Haha even Sakura-chan doesn't know! I'm so awesome, dattebayo!"

A vein bulged on Sakura's head. However, before violence commenced the group reached their destination. In front of Team 7 was a large, circular wall forming a half-circle. On the inside, there was a large circular symbol above a wall covered in strange symbols.

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Well, looks like we found it, let's see if there's anything helpful."

The group walked up to the wall and started searching for any sort of clues to what was happening.

"Kakashi-sensei, what do these symbols mean?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"I'm afraid I'm as lost as you, Sakura-chan, I've never seen anything like them."

Naruto peered closely at the wall. None of it seemed to make any sense at first. However, what had Kakashi-sensei said? Look underneath the underneath? Naruto took an actual look at the wall and was immediately surprised.

"Hey, I think I found something, dattebayo!"

The rest of Team 7 walked over and leaned over Naruto's shoulder, immediately sweat-dropping.

"Uh, Naruto, that area's no different than the rest of it."

Naruto frowned and pointed at a particular symbol.

"See? Right there, I think it says 'Fus.'"

Sasuke grunted.

"Dobe, that's not even a word."

Naruto growled at Sasuke.

"Teme! It's definitely a word, dattebayo!"

Sasuke scoffed.

"Then what does it mean, dobe?"

Naruto opened his mouth and then stopped. What _did_ Fus mean? Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"I know you're excited and looking very hard, Naruto, but there's no such word as 'fus' that I know of."

Naruto frowned even more.

"But it says so right there! Can't you guys read it?"

Sakura shook her head.

"It just looks like random symbols to me."

Naruto was about to speak when a flash of light hit him. Suddenly he was surrounded by white, and then by darkness. He felt a powerful need to push out, so he did, cracking open the darkness and letting light flood in. Naruto jumped back as he saw another dragon through the light, but then the scene shifted. He looked down, and cried out as he was hundreds of feet in the air. He looked side to side and realized that he had wings! Next he was in the middle of an intense fight, with a dragon! Naruto opened his mouth to cry out in shock, but instead of an unintelligible cry, out of his mouth came a mighty '**FUS!'** that blew the other dragon away. The scene faded and then turned to light, which slowly faded into Sakura's hand moving up and down in front of his face.

"What should we do, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"He's probably still tired, yesterday was a long day even for our Naruto. We should probably head home and get some rest."

Suddenly Naruto jumped, startling all of Team 7. After catching her breath, Sakura responded with a fist to Naruto's head.

"Idiot! What was that for?"

Naruto rubbed the bump on his head.

"Ouch…but hey! I know what it means now! It means force, dattebayo!"

Kakashi looked at Naruto worried.

"Are you ok, Naruto? You zoned out for a minute."

Naruto looked confused, then remembered only he had the vision.

"Oh yeah! I had this weird vision. There were dragons, then I was a dragon, then I said…"

Naruto meant to say 'fus' in his normal, energetic fashion. However, something entirely different occurred.

"**FUS**, dattebayo**!"**

With Naruto's final word, a large, blue blast of energy shot out of his mouth, knocking Sasuke and Sakura off their feet and even causing Kakashi to stumble back a step. After recovering, Sakura's jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide.

"Naruto…what on earth was that?"

Even Sasuke and Kakashi appeared surprised by Naruto's inexplicably powerful voice.

"Yes, Naruto, do you have any idea what just happened?"

Naruto was still staring ahead wide-eyed, amazed the powerful effect the simple word had.

"I'm not sure…oh wait, um at the end of the vision the dragon, or me, shouted..."

"**FUS!"**

Again, Sasuke and Sakura were knocked to their bottoms while Kakashi took a step back.

"…and yeah, did that to another dragon."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

'_He said he saw and appeared as a dragon in the vision, which triggered after he allegedly read 'fus' on the wall there. I could swear I heard words of a similar style whenever the dragon breathed fire. Perhaps that dragon was intelligent, and supposedly 'fus' is the word for 'force' in dragon then? And somehow, dragon words are more than simple words. But then how did Naruto learn to read a dragon word? Also, before his vision both Naruto and myself said 'fus' without any effect, that vision must have had something to do with this. If only Naruto could read more of this wall than that one word, there's too much unknown here.'_

"Naruto, can you read anything else on this wall?"

Naruto turned and rushed excitedly over to the wall, searching for any more words he could use to put Sasuke-teme on the ground. However, after about a minute Naruto frowned.

"I can't make out anything else, only…"

"**FUS!"**

Luckily Naruto was still facing forward this time. Team 7 sweat-dropped.

"Uh Naruto, that word seems quite powerful. You should probably save it, you know, like a secret jutsu."

Naruto suddenly beamed.

"You mean like how you hide your Sharingan, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi eye-smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.

"Exactly."

Naruto nodded and grinned.

"All right! My very own super-cool secret jutsu! And I didn't even have to steal the Hokage's secret scroll again to learn this one, dattebayo!"

Kakashi sweat-dropped while Sakura and Sasuke's jaws dropped.

"WHAT?"

-Tazuna's House-

Team 7 walked through the front door, Naruto beaming at his new 'super-cool secret jutsu,' Sasuke brooding over Naruto's new power gains, Sakura trying in vain to cheer Sasuke up, and Kakashi deep in thought. Tsunami moved to greet them.

"Hello, welcome back! Did you find anything?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Bits and pieces but nothing conclusive. Only more questions."

Tsunami nodded thoughtfully.

"Oh yes, by the way that young girl you brought home just woke up an hour ago."

Naruto's eyes grew into giant white orbs of shock.

"Girl? But Haku said he was a boy!"

Tsunami looked at Naruto funny and then shook her head.

"I'm afraid she must have lied to you, she's definitely a girl."

Naruto was about to continue protesting when Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder and looked at Naruto questioningly. Naruto attempted to explain his meeting with Haku, but was too confused at the moment to make any sense. Naruto attempted to sort through the massive confusion in his mind as Team 7 made their way to the room where Haku was resting. Kakashi stopped them outside the door.

"Ok guys, remember, yesterday this girl was our enemy and this is the first time she's awake since then. Let's be extra cautious and tactful."

Team 7 all nodded.

Then Naruto proceeded to slam open the door.

"HAKU! Tsunami told me you _are _actually a girl! What are you, dattebayo?"

Haku couldn't help but smile weakly at Naruto while Team 7 dead-panned, sweat-dropped, and face-palmed at Naruto's 'tact.'

"I apologize, Naruto-kun. I've made it a habit to hide as much about myself as I could. But yes, your friend is right, I'm actually a girl."

Naruto nodded, satisfied.

"Ha! I knew it! No one who's so much prettier than Sakura could be a guy!"

Sasuke and Kakashi both face-palmed and Haku let out a small chuckle as Sakura proceeded to beat Naruto senseless.

Kakashi gave Haku an eye-smile.

"Sorry about that, but that's our number one, hyperactive ninja. How are you feeling?"

Haku frowned and looked away from the group.

"You should kill me."

Sakura looked up from Naruto, utterly in shock. Sasuke frowned and Kakashi dropped his eye smile while Naruto jumped up off the floor, utterly enraged.

"WHAT? What do you mean, kill you?"

Haku looked down.

"Zabuza-sama was my whole life, my whole existence. Without him, I have no reason to live."

Naruto looked stunned, but still enraged.

"Why…WHY FOR A GUY LIKE THAT? HE WAS A BAD GUY WHO TAKES MONEY FROM A CRIMINAL! WAS THAT EYE-BROWLESS FREAK THE ONLY IMPORTANT PERSON TO YOU?"

Kakashi took a step forward.

"Now Naruto…"

Haku suddenly spoke up.

"I had people very dear to me…a long time ago…"

Naruto and Kakashi both stopped, and all of Team 7 directed all their focus on Haku.

"My parents. I was born in a small snowy village in Mizu no Kuni. I was happy; my parents were very kind people. But…"

Haku looked down, pained. Team 7 all felt a sinking feeling in their hearts…well Naruto and Sakura did. Sasuke and Naruto were both reminded of early times in their lives from Haku's tone of voice. Kakashi's thoughts were shrouded in shadow, but he appeared as sympathetic as a masked ninja can.

"When I grew up and began to learn the ways of the world, something happened."

Naruto gulped.

"Something? What…?"

Haku continued looking down.

"My blood…."

Naruto was completely focused on Haku.

"Your blood? What happened?"

Haku looked up, with a face devoid of warmth.

"My father killed my mother; then he tried to kill me."

Sakura let out a gasp while Naruto and Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Mizu no Kuni had endless civil wars, and those with kekkei genkai came to be hated. Because of their abilities, clans with kekkei genkai were used as weapons in countless battles and as a result were blamed for bringing misfortune and war to the country. After the wars, these clans had to hide the truth about their own blood. For those whose secret was discovered, only death awaited. You there."

Haku looked at Sasuke.

"You also must have experienced much hardship; those with special abilities are often feared."

All of Team 7 remembered Sasuke's desire to revive his clan and kill a certain man.

"My mother was from one of these bloodlines. My father discovered this…before I realized what I had done, I had killed him…my own father! And at that time, I thought of myself as…no I had no choice but to think that. I realized the most painful thing in the world."

Naruto remained glued on Haku.

"Most painful thing?"

Haku looked down again.

"That in this world…I am a person who is unwanted."

Naruto's eyes widened.

'_She's the same as me…'_

Haku looked up at Naruto.

"You said to me you wanted to become the best ninja in your village and have everyone acknowledge you. Now if someone who acknowledged you from the bottom of their heart appeared, wouldn't that person become the most important person to you?"

Naruto immediately thought of Iruka, and the night of the Genin Exam.

"Zabuza-sama took me knowing I had a kekkei genkai. The blood that everyone hated…he wanted it."

Tears came to Haku's eyes.

"I was so happy! I became Zabuza-sama's perfect weapon, just as he desired."

The tears started flowing down Haku's face as she told Team 7 about meeting Zabuza, his goals, his dreams, and his purpose for her.

"But now, I've failed him. I was too weak, and I couldn't protect him. Now he's gone, and I'm alone and unwanted again. Please Naruto-kun, the day I met you in the forest…I thought you were like me. You should be able to understand. Please, kill me."

"**FUS!"**

The blast of energy knocked Haku back into the bed, along with disrupting the entire room and shaking the whole house.

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING? Yes! You are like me! I was all alone too! Hated by everyone because of…who I was! But you can't end it like this!"

Haku looked up at Naruto's enraged face, too shocked to respond.

"Because this time, you aren't alone! Zabuza's gone…and Gatō is too! We don't have to be enemies any more, Haku!"

Haku could see tears streaming down Naruto's face now.

"Please! It's because we're the same…because we both know what it means to be unwanted…I won't let it end this way!"

Haku shook her head.

"Please, Naruto-kun, don't make this harder for yourself. It's a mistake to save an enemy out of pity. I can't go on living…if you don't kill me…I'll do it myself! It's what…"

Naruto pulled his fist back.

"WAKE UP!"

Naruto slammed Haku across the face.

"It's NOT what Zabuza would've wanted! When Zabuza was kicked out of the village, did he give up? When no one would take him in and no one wanted him, did he let himself die? I don't care if you're an enemy, I don't care if I have to watch you every minute for the rest of your life! I'm not going to let you give up like this!"

Haku stared up at Naruto, eyes quivering, taking in all his rage and determination.

'_This boy…'_

Haku looked away and closed her eyes.

'_Zabuza-sama…'_

Haku looked up again at Naruto. She could see the same acknowledgement that had been in Zabuza's eyes.

'_No…not unwanted again.'_

"Naruto-kun, thank you. I…I won't kill myself, I promise."

Naruto looked confused again. Kakashi, however, smiled under his mask and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, motioning towards the door. As a stunned and confused Team 7 exited the room, Haku looked out the window into the world beyond, and smiled.

-Forest, 2 weeks later-

Team 7 stood back as Haku, now in her civilian garb, knelt before the grave.

"Goodbye, Zabuza-sama. And thank you."

Sakura looked at the grave sadly.

"Kakashi-sensei, were these two correct about ninjas?"

Kakashi looked grave.

"A shinobi isn't supposed to pursue his own goals…becoming the country's tool is the most important thing. That's the same for Konoha."

Naruto frowned.

"Is that what it really means to become a true ninja…? You know what? I don't like it!"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi.

"You believe that too?"

"Well, each and every ninja has to live while dealing with that issue…just like Zabuza…"

Naruto put on a determined face.

"Ok, I just decided! I'm going to be a ninja in my own way!"

Haku couldn't help but smile at Naruto's outburst. She looked at the grave one last time and then stood up.

"I'm ready, thank you for this."

Kakashi nodded.

"He fought for his ideals, right up until the end."

Haku took a step forward and grabbed Zabuza's sword.

"This sword is Kubikiribōchō. It is a treasure of Kirigakure, passed down from generation to generation of Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Zabuza-sama would not like it left here for just anyone. Kakashi-san, since you stopped the dragon that defeated Zabuza-sama, I believe you should have it."

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Actually, the dragon beat me too. The one who stopped the dragon was…"

Kakashi pushed forward everyone's favorite hyperactive blond ninja.

"Naruto."

Haku smiled.

"Truly? It is most fitting then, Naruto-kun, please accept this sword."

Kakashi nodded at Naruto and Naruto took a step forward, a big grin on his face. A grin that quickly turned into a frown as the sword pulled Naruto down to the ground.

"Hey! This thing is heavy! How on earth did Zabuza even lift this?"

Team 7 and Haku laughed at Naruto's plight as Kakashi pulled out a sealing scroll.

'_This is actually perfect for Naruto…his lack of effective taijutsu or weapons is the only reason his mass kage bunshin are manageable.'_

"Here, keep it sealed in this scroll until you can use it. When we get back to Konoha, I know the perfect trainers for you."

-Completed Bridge-

Team 7 and Haku stood facing Tazuna and his family at the start of the bridge, now complete with an archway holding up a mighty dragon skeleton.

"Thanks to you we've completed the bridge, but…this is super sad."

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Thank you for everything."

Naruto tried to put on a happy grin.

"Don't worry! We'll come to visit!"

Inari shook as Tazuna patted his head.

"You….better…"

Naruto started shaking as well.

"Inari…you're sad right? It's all right to cry!"

Inari tried to sound indignant instead of sad.

"I'm not going to cry! But Naruto you can cry too!"

Naruto quickly spun around.

"Fine…later…"

With that, both Naruto and Inari started bawling. Sakura looked annoyed while Haku, Kakashi, Tazuna, and Tsunami all smiled.

Tazuna and his family watched as the shinobi departed.

"That boy changed Inari's heart and Inari changed the people's hearts…that boy gave us a bridge to 'hope' called 'courage.' Bridge…oh yeah…we need to name this bridge. Well I have a perfect name for this bridge…how about…the Great Dragonborn Naruto Bridge?"


	2. Fin Smoliin Pogaan SotFrin Krein

Author's Note: Whoa. I did not expect that much feedback so quickly! Apparently people like this! So guys, question. I had originally planned to make this a Naruto in Skyrim fic, such as Naruto world as a continent on Nirn. Thus why I didn't change "Skyrim" out of the Dragonborn Comes. However, from the reviews most people viewed (and liked) it as a Skyrim in Naruto fic, where I take parts of Skyrim lore and throw them into Naruto. So: which would you prefer? Shall Naruto visit Skyrim? Is magicka different than chakra? Are biju beasts of pure chakra or are they from the planes of Oblivion? Will the beautiful beasts of Konoha impress the hardy Nords with their burning passion? I'll take the Elder Scrolls and path...and leave the choice to you!

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><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

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><p>-Chapter 2: Fin Smoliin Pogaan Sot-Frin Krein (The Passion of Many White-Hot Suns!)-<p>

* * *

><p>"Woohoo! Finally back, dattebayo!"<p>

Naruto cheered as Team 7 reached the gates of Konoha. Haku and Kakashi smiled at the outburst.

"Well guys, I have to submit a mission report, so enjoy your first day back."

With that, Kakashi made a hand-sign and shushined away in a puff of smoke. Naruto grinned.

"Enjoy the day, huh? Sakura-chan! Want to go on a date?"

Sakura's face twisted in rage.

"No!"

Then immediately softened into as cute and feminine a smile as she could muster.

"Sasuke-kun, want to go on a date?"

Sasuke turned towards the street that led home.

"No."

And walked away.

Sakura and Naruto's faces both fell, tears streaming from their rejections. Haku chuckled at the exchange.

"It's always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke. Hey Haku, want to see the village?"

Haku smiled.

"That would be great, Naruto-kun."

-Hokage's Office-

Sandaime quickly and deftly threw open the window as Kakashi leapt through it.

"I don't suppose I'll ever get you to use the door?"

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Sorry, but I took my time helping an old lady with her groceries, and would have been late if I went through the normal entrance."

Sandaime sighed as he took his seat. At least Kakashi was somewhat on time this time. An hour or two earlier than expected at least.

"So, how was Team 7's first C-ranked mission?"

Kakashi eye-smiled again and gave a thumbs-up.

"Not very good, ended almost immediately. Their first A-ranked mission though went quite well."

Sandaime froze for a second.

"I think you'd better start from the beginning, Kakashi."

After Kakashi explained how the mission went, Sandaime let out a sigh. He got the feeling nothing would ever be simple with Naruto. His eyes narrowed, what Kakashi reported was quite disturbing.

"You're quite sure it wasn't some sort of jutsu?"

Kakashi nodded, his face, well, his eye, quite grim.

"Positive, there were no other ninja in the area and Zabuza was as surprised as I was."

Sandaime's eyes narrowed. A beast that could breathe fire, resist fire jutsu and was invulnerable to the small weapons most ninja preferred. Not only that, but that could fly and had the strength to knock out and kill a Seven Swordsman of the Mist with a single blow. A single one wouldn't be too much trouble for a well-prepared squad of shinobi, but if there were more of them they would be dangerous, especially for genin squads like Team 7. Indeed, had it been any team other than Team 7, Sandaime probably wouldn't be hearing this report. Sandaime made a mental note to investigate the issue.

"On to the next matter, Naruto's status. What can you tell me about his newfound powers?"

Kakashi went on as Sandaime blew a puff of smoke from his pipe.

"Not very much. When the dragon died, its body except for the skeleton burned away and transformed into energy that Naruto absorbed. Naruto could then read one of the words at the ancient ruins Tazuna showed us, at which point he said he saw visions of himself as a dragon, possibly memories of the dragon he absorbed. After the memories, every time he said the word, he let out a blast of concussive force strong enough to stagger me. Tazuna referred to him as 'Dragonborn,' which he said was some ancient legend his grandfather told him about."

Sandaime nodded.

"Was he able to tell you anything else about it?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Only a song."

Sandaime nodded again, motioning for Kakashi to continue. Kakashi sings the song for him.

Sandaime nodded and grunted.

"Thank you, Kakashi, I'll look into it. Now onto the more pressing matter, you said this Haku girl returned with you?"

Kakashi nodded and eye-smiled.

"Naruto's probably showing her around the village as we speak."

Sandaime let out a 'hm.'

"Don't worry; she couldn't have been working for the Mizukage as she has a kekkei genkai, Hyōton Jutsu. As I mentioned she tried to convince us to kill her after the battle, though Naruto convinced her to live."

This brought a smile to Sandaime's face.

"Given the circumstances and our time together, I think she can be trusted."

Sandaime let out another puff of smoke.

"Very well, bring her to me sometime soon. Thank you for your report."

Kakashi nodded and shushined out of the room. Sandaime sighed and pulled out a sheet of paper.

'_Thank goodness I was able to find him and request his return…if anyone can figure out what this 'Dragonborn' status is he can.'_

Sandaime began writing a letter.

-Ichiraku Ramen-

"And this is Ichiraku Ramen, the best place in the world, dattebayo!"

Teuchi smiled as he heard his best customer approaching. He was surprised to see Naruto leading a slightly older girl as he sat down.

"Hey, old man! Two large servings of miso ramen with chashu!"

Teuchi smiled.

"Sure thing, Naruto. Who's your friend?"

Naruto smiled as he introduced Haku.

"This is Haku-chan! She's new to the village. Haku, this is old man Teuchi, and Ayame-nē-chan!"

Haku smiled and bowed.

"I'm honored to meet you."

Teuchi chuckled.

"No need to be so formal, any friend of Naruto's is a friend of ours."

Ayame brought out Naruto and Haku's ramen as Naruto told them all about their mission. Teuchi and Ayame eyed Haku suspiciously when Naruto got to the parts about her trying to kill him, but Naruto insisted that Haku was his friend now. Teuchi and Ayame just shook their heads; only Naruto would make friends out of a mortal enemy.

Just as Haku was finishing her first bowl and Naruto his fourth, Kakashi shushined next to them.

"Hey guys, sorry Naruto, but can I borrow Haku? The Hokage would like to speak with her."

A flash of anxiety passed through Haku's eyes as she stood up. Naruto gulped down his last bite of ramen.

"Don't worry, Haku-chan! Jījī's really nice."

Haku smiled.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. Hopefully I'll see you later."

-Hokage's Office-

Sandaime looked up hopefully at the sound of knocking at his door. Please let it be something to distract him from the mountain of paperwork.

"Please, come in."

In walked Kakashi followed by a young girl two or three years older than his team.

"Hello, Hokage-sama. This is the girl I told you about."

Said girl took a step forward and bowed before Sandaime.

"Hello, Hokage-sama. My name is Haku, and I thank you for welcoming me into your village."

Sandaime let a puff of smoke out of his pipe.

"Ah yes, yes, welcome, welcome. Now, would you mind telling me your story?"

Sandaime listened carefully as Haku told him her background, and then her side of the Wave Mission. He nodded as she did; everything matched what Kakashi had already told him. He smiled as she got to the parts where Naruto convinced her to live and come with them. Sandaime made a mental note of Naruto's charisma as a powerful village resource; after all, how many other genin get sent on a supposedly C-ranked mission and come home with a kekkei genkai wielding missing nin?

"Hm, I see. So Haku, what do you plan to do now?"

Haku let herself smile slightly.

"I hope to start a new life like Naruto-kun said I should. I also want to protect my new comrades."

Mentally, Sandaime shook his head. This girl had the Will of Fire already; and she was from the Bloody Mist!

"I see, so Haku, are you saying you would protect your new comrades in Konoha with your life?"

Haku nodded.

"I would."

Sandaime led out a puff of smoke.

"And would you hope to preserve peace and prosperity?"

Haku nodded once more.

"I would."

Sandaime smiled.

"Very well. Consider yourself a shinobi of Konoha then."

Haku's jaw dropped. She had expected at best to be allowed to stay in the village under surveillance, and more likely to be handed over to Kiri.

"Not to sound ungrateful, Hokage-sama, but are you truly going to allow a missing nin who tried to kill your shinobi into your ranks?"

Sandaime smiled.

"Yes, that describes what I'm going to do perfectly. Don't worry Haku, when you deal with the Uchiha, Hatake, and Hyūga clans you learn to judge character from the smallest details. I sense that you are a good person at heart who cares deeply for others; I believe you will make a fine addition to the village. As to your history and the circumstances under which you met Kakashi's team, well I believe in letting the past stay in the past. Now then, Kakashi tells me you are at least chūnin level from what he saw of you and that Zabuza himself claimed you were stronger than him. It would be a waste to have you enter the lower ranks, therefore I am conditionally granting you the rank of chūnin. You will perform several missions under observation by Kakashi; once you've proven yourself to him I will officially induct you into our ranks. Do you accept this place in Konoha?"

Haku smiled, her face beaming, as she bowed to the Hokage.

"I do, thank you, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime nodded and let out another puff of smoke.

"You are most welcome, Haku-chan. Welcome to Konoha. Now, on to logistics. I believe there is an apartment complex in town that is strangely, mostly vacant though it is of decent quality and in a convenient location. I think you will also enjoy the company of the other tenant…"

-Naruto's Apartment-

Naruto was happily munching on a cup ramen to help wash down the Ichiraku's when he heard a knock on his door.

"Coming!"

Naruto slurped down the last of his ramen and rushed to door. Standing there were Kakashi and Haku.

"Yo."

Naruto grinned. Kakashi-sensei never came to visit!

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?"

Kakashi, as usual, had his face in his book.

"Oh, you know, just showing Haku to her new apartment."

Naruto took a step back.

"Wha..?"

Haku stepped forward, smiling.

"That's right, Naruto-kun. Hokage-sama was kind enough to give me the apartment next door to yours."

Naruto grinned.

"That's awesome, dattebayo! We get to be neighbors."

Haku chuckled and smiled as Kakashi turned the page.

"Oh yea, Naruto, let's let Haku get settled. I have some special training for you."

Naruto's grin grew even larger. First, Haku-chan becomes his neighbor and now special training from Kakashi-sensei? Could this day get any better?

"All right! Let's go, dattebayo!"

-Konoha Gates-

Naruto bounced around, too excited at the prospect of training to stand still. Kakashi simply leaned against a wall, reading his book.

"What kind of training are we doing, Kakashi-sensei? Awesome jutsu?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"We?"

Naruto, however, ignored Kakashi, lost in day dreaming.

'_I bet Kakashi-sensei's going to teach me an amazing new jutsu! Then I'll whoop Sasuke-teme with it and Sakura will love me! Then J__ī__j__ī__ will realize how awesome I am and make me Hokage!'_

Kakashi flipped another page.

'_3…2…1…'_

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

Kakashi ducked, intent on his book as a kick flew over his head. Naruto simply stared in shock.

Guy had appeared.

"Kakashi! My eternal rival! Our record is at 50 wins for me, 49 wins for you! What sort of youthful contest shall we have today? Single combat? A hundred meter dash?"

Naruto was too in shock to notice, but Kakashi had an evil glint in his eye.

"Sorry, Guy, we'll have to skip today. You see, my _young_ student here just obtained a weapon he doesn't have the strength to use. I was just about to give up training him in its use. Such a shame, if in his _youth_ he could learn to use a weapon of the Seven Mist Swordsmen in _close combat_, he could finally defeat his rival, the _genius_ Uchiha Sasuke…"

Naruto frowned and pointed at Kakashi.

"Wait, you haven't trained me at…"

However, Naruto was interrupted by Guy's streams of tears.

"Oh, what a tragic, youthful tale! Come, Kakashi's student! I will impart to you the youth Kakashi could not! And if I can't, I will do five hundred laps around the village on my hands!"

Naruto's eyes widened as Guy grabbed a hold of his arm and began dragging him to the training grounds at top speed.

"Wha…KAKASHI-SENSEEEEIIIII!"

Kakashi eye-smiled as he turned the page.

"Have fun, Naruto."

-Training Ground-

Lee stood attentively, waiting for his sensei. It was unlike Guy-sensei to be late; perhaps he was engaged in a most youthful duel with his rival? Suddenly Guy appeared in the distance, dragging something orange along with him. Lee saluted as Guy-sensei arrived.

"Guy-sensei! I am ready for our youthful afternoon workout."

Guy gave Lee a thumbs-up, during which his teeth sparkled.

"Atta boy, Lee! Today, however, will be a very special day!"

Lee looked up at his sensei with awe.

"What is it, Guy-sensei? Will we do double our normal push-ups today? Or will we spring to the border of Kaze no Kuni?"

Guy smiled.

"Nope, even better! Today we are joined by Kakashi's most youthful student, Naruto! Like us, he is a youthfully hard worker, striving every day to defeat his genius rival teammate! However, Kakashi's hip attitude cannot impart to him the flames of youth, so we must take it upon ourselves to ignite his passion!"

Lee began crying tears of passion.

"Yosh! Truly you are a great man, Guy-sensei! Taking on your rival's student as your very own!"

Both master and student began crying rivers of tears.

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

After the embrace, which unexplainably moved the world to a sun-set beach, Lee and Guy pulled Naruto, who was still recovering from both the shock of meeting Guy for the first time and the pain of being dragged halfway across the village, off his feet. So began Naruto's first 'youthful' workout.

* * *

><p>Guy watched, beaming, as Naruto fell to the ground and dragged himself to the tree where Team Guy was scheduled to meet.<p>

'_What youthful spirit! On his first day Lee could not do a fraction of what Naruto did! And he is already recovering! I tremble at how strong this Sasuke must be for Kakashi to train him instead, for I can make this boy a genius of hard work in a month…no a week!'_

Lee ran up to Naruto, only slightly winded.

"Amazing, Naruto-san! Even Neji cannot keep up with us as long as you did! I envy your youthful energy! In fact, I will do 500 push-ups to start building mine!"

Naruto groaned as Lee began his self-imposed workout, the thought of more exercise too much for what was left of his mind. However, a few minutes later he felt powerful chakra surge through his body and begin restoring his energy. Though his entire body screamed in pain, Naruto put his hand down and forced himself into a crouch. As he did he noticed two more genin around Lee's age enter the training grounds.

"Neji! Tenten! Meet our new comrade in youth! Naruto, student of my eternal rival, Kakashi!"

Naruto tried to wave and say hello, but ended up falling to the ground instead. Tenten poked him with a stick.

"Um, why is he just lying there?"

Guy smiled.

"Despite his teacher, Naruto burns with youthful passion! Just now, he completed half of Lee's and my afternoon workout!"

Tenten gasped while even Neji allowed his eyes to grow ever so slightly larger than normal.

"H-half? This kid did _half _the hell you call training?"

Lee jumped.

"Yosh! Naruto-san is most impressive."

Guy continued smiling.

"Indeed, which is why today, Tenten, I want you to help Naruto learn how to use his new weapon!"

Tenten smirked. Just another little genin who thought weapons were cool.

"A new weapon you say? Well did you at least bring your own?"

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. He weakly opened it up and put his palm on top of it. Tenten gasped at the smoke cleared.

"Is that…Kubikiribōchō used by Zabuza of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?"

Naruto had finally recovered enough to pull himself upright and speak, albeit much more softly than normal.

"Y-Yea…Haku-chan told me Zabuza would want me to have it."

Tenten's eyes were shining.

"Y-You fought Zabuza…and he gave you one of Kiri's treasured swords?"

Naruto grinned and nodded.

Guy smiled as Tenten began a barrage of questions about the battle with Zabuza.

'_Well my eternal rival, your student is just full of surprises.'_

The sun was quite low when Tenten finished showing Naruto some basic heavy weapon drills. Neither of them could actually lift Zabuza's sword yet, but luckily Tenten had some lighter heavy weapons for them to practice with. Naruto thanked Tenten, then frowned at Kubikiribōchō lying on the ground. Naruto's face lit up, however, when he saw Tenten seal away the weapons they practiced with.

"Hey, Tenten-chan, can you show me how to seal weapons?"

Tenten frowned.

"Wait, you don't know how to seal weapons? How did you seal the sword then?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"Well, Kakashi-sensei did that one for me."

Tenten sighed and shook her head.

"You'd think they'd show everyone this. Here come on, this might take a while."

Tenten, however, was surprised. Naruto picked up the sealing technique relatively quickly, especially given what Tenten had heard about him.

"Wow, Naruto-san, I'm impressed. It took me forever to get this technique down!"

Naruto grinned.

"Really? Thanks, Tenten-chan! It seems a lot easier than all the other jutsu in the Academy!"

Naruto, with Tenten's guidance, sealed Zabuza's sword back into the scroll. Just as he did, Lee and Guy ran up to him.

"Yosh! Naruto-san! Are you ready for our evening workout?"

Naruto fell backwards in fear.

"E-Evening workout?"

Guy gave Naruto the nice guy pose.

"Yes! To fan our flames of youth, Lee and I work out three times a day! Starting tomorrow, we'll pick you up in the morning as well."

Naruto gulped. '_This is insane! But…'_

Naruto had caught a glimpse of Lee and Guy sparring while he was practicing weapons with Tenten. Naruto's look of fear was replaced with one of steely determination.

"Let's do this! If Bushy-Brows can handle it, so can I! I'm going to become stronger, so I can become Hokage, dattebayo!"

Neji had just rejoined the team and scoffed. Tenten and Guy's faces flashed with worry as Naruto turned around and glared at him.

"What was that?"

Neji looked at Naruto arrogantly.

"A loser like you? Hokage? Don't fool yourself. You were dead-last in the Academy, you will always be last. Fate has decreed this, you cannot change it."

Naruto growled.

"Like heck I can't! Just you watch! I'll become Hokage and wipe the smirk off your face, you arrogant jerk!"

Tenten and Lee grabbed Naruto while Guy frowned.

"Neji, that was most un-youthful of you."

Neji spun around.

"Bah, I've no more time to waste with fools who think they can defy fate."

Naruto growled again as Neji walked away.

"What's that guy's problem?"

Tenten sighed.

"Try to ignore it, Naruto-san. Neji has…a troubled life. Don't let him get to you."

Naruto folded his arms and grunted.

"Let's go. I'm going to get stronger and wipe the smug look off his face, then Sasuke-teme's, dattebayo!"

Guy and Lee smiled at this and grabbed Naruto's arms.

"Yosh! Let your youth overflow!"

Tenten sweat-dropped as her teammates once again dragged Naruto off into the distance.

-Team 7 Meeting-The Next Week-

Sakura was pacing while Sasuke was leaning against a tree. What was taking her other teammates? While everyone expected Kakashi several hours late, it wasn't like Naruto to be _this_ late. Though it did give her more time with Sasuke-kun…Sakura suddenly stopped worrying about it.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, it looks like we'll be alone tod…"

Poof! In a puff of smoke and leaves, Kakashi appeared with his ever-present book.

"Yo."

Sakura smiled while Inner Sakura raged.

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei."

_**CHA! Not only are you late, but you ruined my alone time with Sasuke-kun too!**_

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei…do you know where Naruto is?"

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Oh, I don't think he'll be making it today."

However, as Kakashi said this he heard a rustle of leaves. He looked up into a tree, and allowed his eye to widen. Sakura's face went wide and her mouth dropped to the ground. Even Sasuke had to look twice.

There, was Naruto. With his normal orange jumpsuit zipped open for once. Underneath a very tight, green spandex.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late! Guy-sensei's morning work-out ran a bit late, but I figured Kakashi-sensei wouldn't be here either."

Kakashi would've sweat-dropped but he was busy cursing himself for the horror he had unleashed. Sasuke activated his Sharingan to make sure the dobe wasn't playing one of his pranks…and immediately cursed the Sharingan's ability to pick up every. Tiny. Detail. And then instantly and irrevocably memorize it.

"Um, right. Anyways, we won't have any missions for the next week or so."

All three genin of Team 7 looked shocked.

"WHAT?"

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Yep, I have a special assignment from the Hokage. Don't worry though; I have things planned to keep you all busy. Naruto, I believe you know what you'll be doing already….though we're going to have to talk about learning _too_ much from Guy."

Naruto grinned and gave Kakashi a nice guy pose.

"Don't worry, Kakashi-sensei! I don't understand any of that youth talk anyways!"

Kakashi eye-smiled. _'Thank Kami!'_

"All right then, off you go!"

Naruto smiled and then vanished, leaving Sakura and Sasuke wide-eyed.

"N-Naruto learned shushin?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"That was just high speed movement. You could still see him move, but you weren't focusing on him, Sakura and that green blends in with the trees. Still, for Naruto to have gotten that much faster…."

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"So, who wants to catch up to Naruto?"

Sakura looked down while Sasuke grit his teeth. Kakashi sweat-dropped. '_Whoops…wrong thing to say.'_

"Sasuke, I've…'arranged' for you to join Team 8's training sessions for the week. While not as intense as Guy, Kurenai will improve your physical fitness. In addition, she's going to give you some genjutsu training."

Sasuke frowned.

"Why can't I do the same training as Naruto? I'm sure I can handle it if he can."

Kakashi eye-smiled again.

"Actually you can't. In fact, I doubt I could."

Sasuke and Sakura both gasped.

"You see, Guy is a taijutsu specialist. He's as strong as me, but he rarely if ever uses any nin or genjutsu. In order to maintain top jōnin level strength while only using taijutsu, Guy trains _ridiculous_ amounts each day. And he pushes his students to train as hard, though few of them do. If either of you trained with him, you'd get only a single day of training before you'd have to rest and recover, possibly for several days afterwards. However, I'm sure you both noticed, Naruto heals and recovers at an extraordinary rate."

Sasuke and Sakura both thought back to their training during the Wave Mission, where Naruto would train himself to unconsciousness each day yet be perfectly fine the next. Kakashi eye-smiled as they realized he was right.

"Naruto is only one who can handle Guy's excessive training, because his body is the only one that can recover from it in a reasonable span of time, which is how he's grown so much after only a few workouts with Guy. Unfortunately, due to your bodies you can't train nearly as hard. Fortunately though, Kurenai will still train you to your limit, and not just physically."

Sakura and Sasuke looked confused.

"What else will she train us in, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi pointed to his covered Sharingan eye.

"Sasuke, with your newly activated Sharingan, and Sakura, with your high intellect and perfect chakra control, you both are perfect genjutsu types. Kurenai is the village's genjutsu specialist much like Guy is the village's taijutsu specialist and she's agreed to train you both while I'm away."

'_Though I did have to blackmail her with those pictures of her and Asuma…'_

Kakashi turned away, face in his book.

"Anyway, you'll find her at Training Ground 8. Report there and she'll let you know the schedule. Well, have fun!"

With that, Kakashi shushined away.

-Hokage's Office-

Kakashi reappeared at the Hokage's office, where Haku was ready to go in her new Konoha shinobi gear.

"Ready, Haku?"

Haku nodded.

"Ready, Kakashi-sama."

Sandaime nodded seriously as he handed Haku a scroll.

"Haku, here is your first mission as a Konoha shinobi. Good luck."

Haku bowed and then she and Kakashi left the room. As they did, the head Konoha librarian walked through the door.

"Good morning, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage motioned for him to come forward.

"Ah yes, yes, have you found anything?"

The head librarian nodded.

"There is nothing about a 'Dragonborn.' However, several legends claim the existence of dragons in ages past; though I'm sure you know those. There is no mention of anything named 'Skyrim,' though I did find a legend about a group of people who set sail to the east thousands of years ago, who never returned. There are also tales of legendary warriors whose shouts sent countless adversaries fleeing, though as these legends claim to be older than even the legend of the Rikudo Sennin I doubt their reputability."

Sandaime let out a 'hm.' Nothing truly helpful, but at least there was some mention of something similar.

"Very well, return to your duties and let me know if you find anything more specific."

-Training Ground 8-

Kiba and Akamaru ran over for their daily team meeting. However, Kiba frowned, there were two unfamiliar scents. He landed in the clearing to see Sasuke and Sakura waiting with the rest of his team.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei! What are these two doing here?"

Kurenai sighed.

"Kakashi's away on some mission, I'm helping train these two while he's gone."

Kiba frowned even more.

"What? Why?"

No one noticed, but Kurenai's face turned slightly red.

-Flashback!-

_Kurenai scowled as Kakashi walked up to her, holding his offensive book. He'd better not be reading that around his genin._

"_Yo, Kurenai."_

_Kurenai crossed her arms._

"_What do you need, Kakashi?"_

_Kakashi eye-smiled._

"_I was wondering if you wouldn't mind training two of my cute, little genin. I'll be away on a mission for the Hokage."_

_Kurenai scoffed._

"_Really? Sounds more like one of your excuses. I'm sorry, Kakashi, but I can't neglect my team to make up for yours…"_

_However, suddenly a picture appeared in Kakashi's hand. Kurenai's face turned bright red in both embarrassment and anger. She leapt at him in rage, but the picture vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Kakashi eye-smiled in the most infuriating way possible._

"_You two are so cute together. Anyways, so do we have a deal?"_

-Present-

Kurenai frowned again.

"Because they need help with genjutsu and Kakashi's not good enough to teach it to them. Also, while you're a great team for scouting, I think you could use some close combat training. Asuma from Team 10 is better than I am at close combat, so he'll be training you for the next few days."

Kiba started grumbling, Hinata looked sad, and Shino simply raised an eyebrow, not truly buying Kurenai's argument. Kurenai sighed, but what was a girl to do? All she knew was that Kakashi would pay for this.

She turned to her two new pupils as her team walked away.

"All right, I'm assuming Kakashi barely trains you?"

Sasuke's scoff and Sakura's nervous laugh gave her a resounding yes. Kurenai sighed.

"The 'do it yourself' mentality may work for Kakashi, but you'll find I do things a bit differently. You may only be here for a week, but while you're here you're my students and I'm going to make sure you're the best you can be. So be prepared to work hard, or don't bother coming. Are we clear?"

Sakura gulped and nodded while Sasuke smirked.

"Very good, now let's get started."

-Hi no Kuni-Early One Morning-

Naruto's chest was on fire. Every inch of his body burned. And this was only the 50th mile! The new weights Guy-sensei gave him today were so much heavier than the ones he had yesterday!

"Must…keep…going…beat…Teme…become…Hokage…datte…bayo…"

Lee cheered at Naruto's determination.

"Yosh! That's the spirit, Naruto-san!"

Lee tried to pat Naruto on the back. However, all of Naruto's attention was focused on the morning run, so Lee's touch quickly sent him off balance and tumbling down the side of a hill. Naruto came to an abrupt stop when he crashed into a wall.

It took Naruto a minute to clear his head and figure out what happened. Then he turned around and examined what he had crashed into.

Naruto's eyes widened. Right behind him was a massive wall in the shape of a half-circle, identical to the one they found in wave. Naruto quickly began scanning it for anything he recognized. He was not disappointed as he found a word that began to glow.

"Feim…Fade…I wonder what that does…"

Naruto took a deep breath.

"FEIM! Huh?"

Naruto was confused when nothing happened. Then he remembered nothing had happened with 'Fus' until he had the dragon memories. Naruto tried thinking about the dragon memories, and about what Feim meant…but still nothing came to him.

"Yosh! Naruto! Are you all right? Come! We must hurry quickly and fan our flames of youth before the sun rises!"

Naruto sighed, and began climbing up the hill.

-Konoha-Several Weeks Later-

Naruto was walking to Ichiraku's after a hard work-out with Team Guy when he saw Sakura.

"Hey! Sakura-chan! I haven't seen you in forever! Want to go on a date, dattebayo?"

Sakura turned around, smiling.

"Naruto! It's been forever!"

And then Sakura realized Naruto had asked her out…again.

As Naruto rubbed the bump on his head, he noticed a square rock moving behind him. With eyeholes.

"I act like I'm looking forward…but feint! What kind of rock is square with two holes? I saw right through that!"

The 'rock' flipped over, revealing Konohamaru and his gang.

"That's the man I view as my rival!"

Naruto rubbed his head.

"Oh it's you, Konohamaru. Huh? What's with the goggles?"

Konohamaru proudly adjusted his goggles.

"Hehe, we're copying the old you, bro!"

Naruto nodded.

"Ahh…"

Konohamaru pointed and yelled at him.

"What do you mean "ah"? Hey! You're cold lately, bro!"

Naruto titled his head slightly.

"So…what do you want?"

The girl in Konohamaru's group stepped forward.

"Umm…leader, are you free?"

Naruto gave her a thumbs-up.

"Nope! I'm training!"

Konohamaru had a look of rage.

"WHAT? But you said you'd play ninja with us today! Hey!"

Naruto rubbed his head again.

"Oh…haha, oh yeah…"

Sakura walked over, sweat-dropping.

"Um, why would a ninja…'play' ninja…?"

Konohamaru pointed at Sakura.

"Hey bro, who's this girl?"

Konohamaru pondered for a moment before coming up with a most dangerous conclusion.

"Not bad bro…she's your…_this._"

Konohamaru made a motion with his pinky. Naruto smiled and blushed.

"Hehehe, wow, you brats are very perceptive."

Which led to intense violence. Which led to Konohamaru insulting Sakura, with even more violence to follow. Which led to Konohamaru insulting her again.

As Konohamaru fled his impending doom, he slammed right into someone.

Standing before him were two Suna shinobi, a male in all black with purple 'war paint' and a blond girl with a fan on her back.

"That hurt."

The boy picked up Konohamaru by his collar.

"That hurt you little brat."

The girl looked at her comrade.

"Don't, we'll get yelled at later."

Sakura tried looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry, I was messing around…"

Naruto was not so subtle.

"Hey, fatso! Let go of him!"

The boy smiled.

"Let's play a little before the boss…"

"**FUS!"**

The boy dropped Konohamaru and fell to the ground while the girl…along with everyone else, stared at Naruto with wide eyes.

"Whoa…bro…"

The boy on the ground shook his head and growled.

"Why you…"

However, he stepped back as a pebble hit his hand. Sasuke sat calmly in a tree, tossing another pebble.

"What are you losers doing in our village?"

Kankuro scowled and reached for the package on his back.

"Kankuro, stop it. You're an embarrassment to our village."

A boy with red hair, the character for love on his forehead, and a big gourd on his back hung from a branch on the same tree as Sasuke.

"Losing control of yourself in a fight, how pathetic. Why do you think we came to Konoha?"

Kankuro pointed at Naruto.

"Listen Gaara, they started it and…

However, Gaara cut him off.

"Shut up…I'll kill you…"

Gaara turned to the Konoha shinobi.

"Sorry to you guys."

'_That one hit Kankuro with a pebble…and that blast of energy from the other one earlier…'_

Gaara shushined between Kankuro and their female teammate in a swirl of sand.

"It looks like we got here too early but…we didn't come here to play around. Let's go."

Sakura, however, stepped forward.

"Ninjas from Sunagakure, right? Judging from your forehead protectors. You may be allies with Konoha but…it is forbidden for shinobi to enter each other's villages without permission. State your purpose. Depending on it, we may not be able to let you go…"

The female Suna nin pulled out a pass.

"Hey, talk about clueless…don't you know anything? You're right, we are genin from Sunagakure. We have come to your village to take the Chūnin Selection Exam."

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Chūnin Selection Exam?"

The girl crossed her arms.

"Geez…you really don't know anything…the Chūnin Exam is where outstanding genin from Suna, Konoha, and other neighboring villages assemble to take an exam to become chūnin. The main purpose is said to be to improve relationships between the allies and raise the shinobi level, but also each country likes to maintain a power balance and…"

Naruto, however, had already stopped listening.

"Hey, Konohamaru! Think I should enter this chūnin exam thing?"

Sasuke shushined next to his teammates.

"You, with the gourd. What's your name?"

Gaara turned around.

"Sabaku no Gaara, I'm also interested in you two, what are your names?"

Sasuke smirked and Naruto grinned.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke behind them.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Hey guys, meet me at the training grounds."

With that, Kakashi vanished.

-Training Grounds-

"WHAAAAATTTTTT?"

Kakashi and Haku, in her new chūnin vest, chuckled at Naruto's reaction.

"Haku-chan's a chūnin already? Kakashi-sensei, you _have_ to let us take the Chūnin Exams!"

Naruto was on his knees, begging Kakashi. Kakashi eye-smiled.

"Ah, so you know already? Great, I've already nominated you guys. Here are your applications."

Naruto tackled Kakashi in a hug.

"Kakashi-sensei! I love you!"

Kakashi eventually slipped away from Naruto.

"Though this is just a nomination. Whether to take the exam is up to each of you. Those who wish to take it should sign those papers and turn them in at room 301 by 4pm tomorrow."

With that, Kakashi vanished.

-Entrance to Room 301-

Team 7 made their way up the stairs. They had easily, well two of them had easily seen through the genjutsu over the room. Sasuke had nearly fought with one of the 'genin' barring the path when they were stopped by Lee. Lee had then wanted to test himself against Sasuke and impress Sakura, but he decided he would let them be out of respect for his 'comrade in youth.'

They were surprised to find Kakashi waiting for them.

"Oh…so Sakura came too…"

Sakura smirked.

"Of course, I'm much stronger than I used to be, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi eye-smiled while making a mental note to be on the lookout for the inevitable revenge genjutsu from Kurenai.

"Great, good thing too since the exams can only be taken by teams of three. I'm proud of you guys, now go!"

Team 7 smiled and pushed open the door.

"Yeah! Let's go!"


	3. Bein Paal, Bein Suleyk

Author's note: I have returned. Sorry, but I was thrust several years forward in time by an Elder Scroll. That or I got bored and moved on. But it seems a great many people enjoy this story and I just played another round of Skyrim and watched a ton of Naruto so I'm back in the mood. And I'm going on break. Sorry this is the first chapter, I'm not particularly happy with this one. This chapter is almost a repeat of canon, with mostly minor changes, one or two that are somewhat significant, but it still had to be done. Hopefully the next one is better. Disclaimer: As many of you have experienced, I may decide randomly I don't care anymore and stop writing at any given moment. So don't get your hopes up. Don't believe in me. Don't even believe in you who believes in me. As regards my question in the previous chapter, it appears the consensus is setting of Naruto world but with some Skyrim thrown in. What elements will be thrown in shall depend on ease of integration, and if I keep writing long enough to reach it. Now to think of a way to eliminate the plot holes generated by me mentioning "Skyrim" and "Nord." I would say stay tuned, but as you know all too well I might need to take another year or so :P. With any luck, we'll finish the Chuunin exams prior to Elder Scrolls VI! But probably before Half-Life 3.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

* * *

><p>-Chapter 3: Bein Paal, Bein Suleyk (Foul Foe, Foul Power)-<p>

Team 7 entered the room while some teams were still filing in. It wasn't long before they were discovered by the other two teams of the Rookie 9, in no small part due to Ino and Sakura's shouting over Sasuke. They were joined by another Konoha shinobi called Kabuto, who was subsequently attacked by three Otagakure shinobi. It was at this moment that the examiner, Morino Ibiki, appeared and explained the first exam.

"The exam will last one hour. BEGIN!"

-30 minutes later-

Tenten pulled on a string, adjusting the mirrors she had somehow completely stealthily attached to the ceiling.

_Lee, if you see it, touch your head protector._

Lee obliged, but then motioned in a certain direction. Tenten adjusted her mirror to look in said direction and saw poor Naruto panicking, and Hinata about to make an extremely obvious attempt to help him.

_No way Lee! This isn't part of the plan!_

Lee kept pointing. Tenten sighed.

_Fine..._

* * *

><p>Naruto clenched his fist and smiled.<p>

"An incredible ninja like me doesn't need to cheat, dattebayo."

Hinata looked worried.

"But...Naruto-kun..."

Naruto looked serious.

"Plus, because you helped me cheat you could get in trouble too."

One of the examiners sighed at the end of the conversation. He was so excited to finally mark a Hyūga down for cheating.

As Naruto cried in regret over his decision, light suddenly flashed into his eyes.

_Ack, where is that coming from?_

He looked around until he found the flashing light. Someone had attached some mirrors to the roof! In such a way that he could see another genin's paper! Naruto grinned immensely.

_I'm saved!  
><em>

_-_The Jōnin Lounge-

Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai all sat on circular sofas as Asuma smoked.

"I heard that the examiner for the first test is Morino Ibiki."

Kakashi looked extremely worried.

"Not that sadist..."

Kurenai quickly turned to Kakashi.

"Sadist?"

Asuma looked at her, a concerned look on his face as well.

"Kurenai, you're a new jōnin so you probably don't know. He's the Konoha Assassination Squad's Torture and Interrogation Captain. While there may not be physical torture while taking a test, those genin must be experiencing a lot of mental suffering brought on by his interrogation skills."

Kurenai looked down, intensely worried about her team.

"If I had known..."

Asuma closed his eyes and let out a puff of smoke.

"We all knew it would be difficult. Here, I know how to cheer you up."

At first, Kakashi looked at Kurenai and smiled smugly, expecting her to blush and the opportunity for more free training. But then, his eye went wide with surprise as Asuma shushin-ed behind him, holding his arms behind his back.

"What's going on?"

Kurenai smiled smugly as she walked up to Kakashi.

"Oh Kakashi, you were spending so long reading that book, we thought we'd do you a favor and speed things along."

Kakashi's eyes widened in horror. This was far worse than any genjutsu he could ever imagine. Even one involving him being stabbed repeatedly for days at a time would be less painful than what was about to occur.

"No..."

"The end of Icha Icha Paradise is..."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

-In the Exam Room-

Ibiki smiled as he congratulated the genin on passing the exam. Far more had made it through than he expected; that blonde kid's outburst had stiffened everyone's resolve. As Ibiki finished explaining the point of the exam and final question, a dark, spinning figure smashed through the window, kunai shooting up into the ceiling. The kunai held up a black banner, in front of which stood a bluish-black, almost purple-haired woman in a tan overcoat, fitted mesh bodysuit and dark orange mini-skirt.

"YOU GUYS! This is no time to be celebrating! I am the examiner for the second test! Mitarashi Anko! Now let's go!"

Anko raised her hand high.

"FOLLOW ME!"

Anko sweat-dropped while the genin stared blankly and surprised at her.

"Bad timing..."

"78...!? Ibiki! You left 26 teams?! The test was too easy this time!"

Ibiki smiled slightly.

"This time...there are a lot of outstanding ones.

Anko put her hand on her hips.

"Bah, that's fine...I'll cut them in half, at least, in the second test."

The genin gulped as Anko's eyes narrowed in dark excitement while she smirked.

"Ahhhh...I'm getting excited...I'll explain everything once we've changed locations. Follow me."

-Outside the Forest of Death-

Anko led the group to a huge forest enclosed by a metal fence. A fence that was triple locked with warning signs.

"Welcome to the stage for the second test, Practice Arena 44, also known as the Forest of Death"

Ino folded her hands nervously.

"This place is creepy..."

Anko smirked.

"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death."

As if on cue, a large roar sounded out from inside the forest. Anko smiled as the genin gulped, though she strangely did not recognize that particular roar.

Sakura looked nervous.

_That almost sounded like..._

Naruto, however, just made a face and grabbed and shook his waist mockingly.

"You'll soon find out why it's called the Forest of Death."

Naruto angrily pointed at Anko.

"You think that scares me!? That's nothing! I'm not afraid, dattebayo!"

Anko smiled.

"You're spirited..."

A kunai appeared in Anko's hand and flew past Naruto's face, grazing his cheek. Anko appeared behind him.

"Kids like you are quickly killed...hehehe"

Anko liked the blood from the cut.

"Spraying that red blood I love..."

Another kunai appeared in Anko's hand as one of the genin from Kusagakure appeared behind her, holding a kunai in an unnaturally long tongue.

"Here's...your kunai."

Anko smiled and licked up Naruto's blood.

"Why thank you. But you know, don't sneak up on me unless you want to die."

_Hm...he's familiar in a creepy way._

"No...I just get excited when I see red blood...plus you cut my precious hair, I couldn't help it."

Anko then handed out waiver forms as she explained the second exam.

"A final word of advice...don't die!"

-Inside the Forest-

Naruto panted as he attempted to wipe off blood and saliva from the snake whose stomach he had just exploded out of.

"Aw man, first that Kusa-nin, then those explosions, now this! Well, I'm a shinobi who will become Hokage! I can't be turned into poop in a place like this! Timeto go find Sakara-chan and Sasuke, dattebayo!"

Naruto ran until he heard snakes hissing. As he got closer he saw that creepy Kusa shinobi from before the exam stretching his body like a snake towards Sasuke. He quickly grabbed some shuriken and a kunai and threw them towards the shinobi.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke! I forgot the code word!"

Sakura smiled.

"Great job, Naruto!"

Sasuke looked grim however.

"Naruto! I know you thinkg you're cool and here to save us! But forget it! Run away! This one is on a whole 'nother level!"

The creepy shinobi smiled.

"Hehe...looks like you successfully defeated that giant snake...Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled larger.

"Hey! Hey! It looks like you were picking on the weak!"

However, Sasuke suddenly deactivated his Sharingan, and tried to offer their heaven scroll to the shinobi. Naruto grabbed the scroll out of the air and socked Sasuke in the jaw. Sasuke shook his head, recovering from the punch.

"What was that all of a sudden!?"

Naruto clenched his fist.

"I forgot the code word...so I can't test it but...you're Sasuke's fake, aren't you?"

Sasuke grimaced.

"Your total moron! I'm the real Sasuke!"

Naruto's face grew angry.

"Liar...There's no way such a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know! I don't know how strong this guy is but what guarantee is there that he'll let us go if we give him the scroll? You're the one too freaked out to understand the situation!"

The Kusa shinobi giggled.

"Naruto-kun...you are correct! Since I can..."

Just then the shinobi was interrupted by a loud roar. He looked around, then shrugged and continued.

"...just kill you and take the scroll!"

He bit his finger and wiped blood across a symbol on his arm. Naruto clenched his fist and charged at the shinobi.

"SHUT UP!"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning Jutsu)!"

A giant snake appeared underneath the shinobi and knocked Naruto away with its tail. The snake charged at Naruto, prepared to eat him, but Naruto punched the snake's mouth sending it crashing down, eyes turning red as Sasuke and Sakura looked on in awe. The shinobi used a fire jutsu to blow Naruto away, then redirected the snake at Sasuke. Sasuke stood, frozen in fear, but then the snake stopped, Naruto holding it back panting.

"Hey...you alright? Scaredy-cat?"

The shinobi suddenly grabbed Naruto with an incredibly long tongue and lifted him up in front of the shinobi.

"Dang it! Let go of me!"

The shinobi made a hand sign and the fingers of his right hand started glowing.

Sasuke just stood there, staring blankly at what happened. Sakura stared at him intensely as a tear welled up in her eye.

"SASUKE-KUN! It's true that unlike you, Naruto is a bit clumsy and can get in the way but...at least he's not a coward! Right?!"

Sasuke closed his eyes, thoughts of his brother in his head. He opened them, Sharingan and new determination filling them as the shinobi was about to slam his hand into Naruto's stomach.

Then they heard the roar.

The shinobi whirled around to see a dragon, flying slightly above the Kusa nin. The dragon took a breath.

"**FO...KRAH DIIN!"**

"NARUTO!"

Naruto and the Kusa nin were engulfed in a white blast of ice breath. Tears began welling up in Sakura's eyes, until she saw something shoot out of the cloud.

Naruto jumped out of the frosty cloud, shivering and covered in ice but alive. He landed on a branch, but found himself unable to move. The Kusa-nin was nowhere to be seen. The dragon turned, and with a swing of his wings charged towards Sakura, mouth wide open to bite.

The Kusa-nin appeared in some bushes to the side, watching with interest.

_Kukuku...this is an interesting and unexpected turn of events. What better way to test your abilities...Sasuke-kun...then against a dragon of apparently true legend?_

"**FUS!"**

A blast of energy flew towards the dragon's head. The dragon merely closed its eyes as the blast passed harmlessly through him, then turned towards Naruto.

"**Thuum? Daar kiir...Ah, Dovahkiin!**" (A shout? This child...ah, Dragonborn!)

The shinobi allowed his eyes to widen slightly.

_Kukuku...what jutsu was that? I felt no chakra release and he made no signs. It didn't feel like the Kyūbi either. This boy is ever more interesting!_

The dragon started to take in another breath. Naruto tried to stand, but his entire body was ice cold and refused to move.

Sasuke stared in surprise for but a moment, then narrowed his eyes in determination and threw out a wave of kunai with explosive tags. They bounced harmlessly off the dragon's scales, but it roared in pain as the tags exploded around it.

_If I can't risk my life here, then how do I expect to be able to kill my brother? Naruto, you already defeated a dragon. Now, it's my turn!_

The dragon turned to Sasuke and released another blast of ice. Sasuke leaped out of the way and quickly made handsigns.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)

The dragon roared in pain as it was engulfed in flames, and flapped its wings as it flew above the trees.

Sasuke reached into his bag and pulled out a large, folding shuriken. He then leaped out of the way as the dragon crashed through the tree tops, landing on the branch where he had just been standing.

Sasuke jumped in front of the dragon and threw the shuriken as the dragon was about to release another ice breath. The shuriken struck the dragon's tongue and it roared in pain. Sasuke clenched his teeth around a string tied to the shuriken and made a handsign.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu! (Fire style: Dragon Flame Jutsu)"

The dragon's head was engulfed in flame once more. As it roared in pain, Naruto forced himself to stand, and jumped on a branch above the dragon.

"Sasuke!"

Naruto pulled out a scroll and released the seal, causing Kubikiribōchō to appear in front of him. He grabbed the handle and pushed upwards, causing the sword to spin till it pointed down. He then jumped off as the sword fell, trying to guide it as gravity pulled it down towards the dragon.

"Take this you stupid lizard!"

The huge sword slammed into the dragon's body, causing it to roar once more in pain.

"**NOOOOO...Dovahkin**!"

The dragon threw back its head and roared once more, then forward and slipped off the tree, Naruto screaming with it.

"Naruto...GAH!"

Sakura gasped as the shinobi from before bit Sasuke in the neck.

"Kukuku...well done Sasuke-kun. My name is Orochimaru. I've left you a little parting gift...if you survive come and find me in Otagakure. For I will give you the power you seek, if you can defeat my men, the Ota-trio."

With that the shinobi sunk into the tree branch as Sasuke fell to his knees in pain. Sakura, crying, rushed over and hugged him.

"Sa..Sakura..."

"Uu..uh huh?"

Sasuke groaned in pain.

"Na..Naruto..."

Sakura gasped as she remembered. She tried to support Sasuke on her shoulder as they jumped down to where Naruto and the dragon fell.

* * *

><p>At the bottom they found the dragon's skeleton, Naruto lying beside it.<p>

"Naruto!"

Sakura ran to Naruto. He was still breathing but completely unconscious. Sakura began to cry once more.

_Wh..What should I do?  
><em>

-Later-

Sakura had Sasuke and Naruto laid out on the ground, a wet rag on Sasuke's head.

_His breathing to returning to normal...but still a strong fever._

She bobbed her head from sheer exhaustion, then shook it.

"Heh, up all night?"

Sakura whirled around to see three Ota-nin facing her. There was a spikey-haired one, a hunched one with a large metal gauntlet with holes in it, and a kunoichi.

"But it's no longer necessary. Wake up Sasuke-kun, we want to fight him."

Sakura pulled out a kunai.

"What are you talking about?! I know that someone named Orochimaru is pulling the strings from the shadows! What is his purpose?!"

The Ota-nin took a step back in surprise. The spikey-haired one grimaced.

"Hearing that, we can't let you go. I'll kill this girl and I'll also kill this Sasuke guy."

The hunched ninja blocked the spiky haired one.

"Wait Zaku."

He bent down and grabbed a rug of grass.

"You're not very good...a recently overturned stone, different colored dirt, grass doesn't grow here. A booby trap is pointless unless it goes unnoticed."

With that the three Ota-nin leaped into the air. Sakura smirked and cut a rope with her kunai. The Ota-nin looked up as a giant log fell towards them. However, the hunched shinobi smashed through it.

"Frankly speaking, you have no tale..."

The ninja stopped speaking as he noticed Sakura finishing a hand sign. Sakura smirked as she, Naruto, and Sasuke vanished and a whirlwind of cherry tree flower petals that flew forward and surrounded the three shinobi.

"Dang it! A genjutsu user!"

* * *

><p>Sakura smirked in her hiding place in the bushes as she watched the three shinobi look around vainly.<p>

_**CHA! That's what you get for underestimating me!**_

Sakura then gulped as she pulled out a kunai.

_I..I guess I need to...finish this..._

Just then, a shinobi clad in bright green landed right next to her.

"Sakura-san! It seems Naruto-kun and Sasuke-san are in trouble!"

Sakura tilted her head.

"Who are you?"

Lee smacked his head.

"That's right! I've only been introduced to Naruto-kun!"

Lee stood up and gave Sakura the nice guy pose.

"I'm the Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha...Rock Lee!"

Sakura sweat-dropped.

"Uh right. How do you know who I am?"

Lee pointed to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun has been training with me and Guy-sensei."

Sakura let out a gasp.

_So this is one of the students of the one who made Naruto so much faster...he must be really strong!_

Lee turned to the three Ota-nin.

"Are those three attacking you, oh beautiful angel?"

Sakura dead-panned as Lee winked at her, then sighed as she realized what she needed to do. Taking a deep breath, she made as cute a face as she could manage without gagging.

"Oh Lee-kun! Those horrible Ota-nin tried to attack me! I escaped but I'm too weak to finish them. If only Naruto or Sasuke were awake, they're so strong I'm sure they could easily defeat these three."

Lee's eyes burned with the joint fires of love and envy.

"Beautiful and talented! Oh Sakura-san, I find my heart burning with love for you! Say no more, Sakura-san! I, Lee, will defeat these villains for you!"

Sakura turned and gagged as Lee vanished. She looked back up to see Lee appear behind the shinobi named Zaku and hit him in the neck with a karate-chop. Zaku fell and landed on the other two, already unconscious.

_Wow, that was fast!_

Lee searched the three ninja until he found their scroll, then tossed it to Sakura, who was so surprised she barely caught it.

"Lee, why are you giving me this?"

Lee gave her another nice guy pose.

"You caught them in the genjutsu, Sakura-san! Besides, I'm sure one of my youthful teammates has already found another!"

-In Naruto's mind-

Naruto looked around.

_Where am I? One moment I was fighting that dragon...then falling...then..._

Naruto looked down and saw he was high in the sky. He let out a scream, but instead came out a blast of fire.

_WHAT?! WHAT THE HECK'S GOING..._

Naruto's mind clicked as he saw a dragon flying around him, and slowly realized what was happening.

_All right! Time to learn another secret jutsu, dattebayo!_

Naruto was interrupted as the dragon crashed into him, hurtling straight for a mountain! Naruto opened his mouth to yell again.

**FEIM!**

As he was about to slam into the mountain, Naruto turned translucent, like a blue ghost, and flew straight through the mountain unharmed...

-Back in the world-

Naruto let out a yawn as he sat up.

"Naruto! You're awake!"

Naruto's eyes went wide as Sakura hugged him, then turned into a smug smile.

"Heh heh, I knew you'd warm up to me, Sakura-chan!"

And with that Naruto was back on his back.

As he sat up again, rubbing his head, he noticed his training friend.

"Bushy-Brows! What are you doing here, dattebayo?"

Lee gave Naruto a nice guy pose.

"Konoha shinobi always come to help a comrade in need! But Sakura-chan did most of the work."

Sakura blushed as Lee pointed at her and Naruto turned to her.

"Oh, well Kurenai-sensei taught me a little genjutsu, that's all."

Naruto grinned.

"That's awesome Sakura-chan!"

Sakura smiled.

"Oh it was nothing. Lee took them out."

_**CHA! That's right! With my awesome new skills Sasuke-kun will have to notice me!**_

At that moment a wave of evil chakra flew out. Everyone turned to the source, and saw Sasuke standing up, surrounded by dark purple chakra. His body was covered in black swirls.

"Sasuke-kun! Your body..."

Sasuke looked down at his hand, and smirked.

"Don't worry...not only that! I feel power flowing in me! I feel great!"

_How's that Naruto? This power...even your word can't compare to this._

Naruto yawned.

"That's nice, Sasuke-teme. Hey guys, when I was sleeping I had another dream! It taught me another word I found!"

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes went wide.

"Wait, another word?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh yea, I found another one of those ruins while I was training with Bushy-Brows."

Sasuke grit his teeth, then made an evil smirk.

_Fine then, there's no better way to test this power._

Sasuke vanished and slammed his foot into Naruto's face, sending a surprised Naruto flying into a nearby tree.

"Naruto! Sasuke-kun! What are you doing?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Not so smug now, are you teme?"

Sasuke charged towards Naruto, pulling back his fist. However, he saw a flash of green as Lee appeared, holding back his fist.

"Sasuke-san, I don't know why you are attacking. But teammates should not fight in this way! Especially not in this situation!"

Sasuke pivoted on his right foot, pulling his left around to kick Lee in the side.

"**FUS!"**

The blast of energy knocked Sasuke into the air. He flipped and landed on his feet.

"Lee, stay back. This teme may be out of line, but it's my job as his teammate to knock some sense back into him, dattebayo!"

Sasuke let out a chuckle.

"You think you can take me on, loser?"

Naruto grit his teeth and charged at Sasuke.

"Heck yea! Teme!"

Sasuke quickly performed some handsigns and raised a hand to his mouth.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)"

A barrage of fireballs flew straight towards Naruto, with no time for him to dodge.

"**FEIM!"**

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto's body turned translucent blue and the fireballs, and the shuriken hidden inside, passed harmlessly through Naruto. So surprised he couldn't dodge Naruto's subsequent punch, which sent him flying. Sasuke grit his teeth as he stood to his feet.

"STOP!"

Sakura grabbed Sasuke from behind, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Please...stop..."

As she did, the marks began receding from Sasuke's body, swirling back towards the mark on his neck. Sasuke fell to the ground from exhaustion.

"Wha...what happened?"

Naruto walked over slowly, fists clench.

"What do you mean 'what happened', teme? You attacked me!"

Sasuke's eyes went big as his memory had flashbacks of his brother, murdering former friends and family that night.

_How could I...why would I..._

Sasuke shook his head and stood up, extending a hand to Naruto.

"Hey, I'm sorry."

Naruto and Sakura's mouths dropped as low as they could go. Naruto pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Well you better be, dattebayo!"

Then he smiled and reached out his hand...

A subsequently tripped on a rock and headbutted Sasuke.

"Idiot!"

"Teme!"

Sakura giggled as the two turned away, arms crossed.

_Looks like everything's back to normal.  
><em>

-Temple on a mountain-

A figure in a hooded grey robe opened his eyes, a similarly-dressed figure approaching. He stood up from his crouching meditation pose.

"You're right. This is the second time. There can be no mistake now. Come, let us gather the others."

The two walked and located the other two figures in the temple. They stepped outside into the cold air on top of their mountain, positioning themselves in a square, one aimed in each direction.

They took a deep breath and prepared to shout.

_-_Back in Konoha-

Kakashi walked slowly along the road to Arena 44, mind dreading his future.

_So...much...work. I have to train how many genin now...?_

To cheer himself up, he pulled an orange book from his pocket.

_At least you are safe now...my precious_

A crack of thunder caused Kakashi to stumble, dropping his book.

_Thunder? On a cloudless day like this?_

"**DOVAHKIIN!"**

_Hm, I could swear those were voices, what was it? Dovahkiin?_"

Kakashi looked down, eyes widening in horror. There it was...his poor Icha Icha, drowning in a puddle of mud.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

-Inside the center tower of the Forest of Death, fourth day-

Team 7 headed to a room to rest and recover from their wounds. Luckily after taking the earth scroll from the Ota-team, and keeping their heaven scroll from Orochimaru, they were able to head right to the tower. They almost got caught in some genjutsu, but then there was a huge crack of thunder (which almost sounded like words) that broke everyone's concentration, allowing them to escape an ambush. As they climbed up the stairs they saw Kakashi standing in front of the door, strangely not reading his book.

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto and Sakura ran to their sensei, then looked around in surprise.

"Kakashi-sensei, where is your book?"

A tear welled up in Kakashi's eye.

"Anyways, congratulations on passing the second exam! But if you don't mind I need to speak with Sasuke."

Kakashi walked over to Sasuke and put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Come, I'll tend to your wounds."

Kakashi leaned over and whispered.

"And seal up that curse mark."

Sasuke grimaced and nodded. Kakashi stood up, smiled and waved at the other two.

"Well, rest up you two! We'll see you soon."

Naruto smiled and Sakura grimaced as Kakashi and Sasuke vanished in a puff of smoke.

_All day with Sakura/Naruto!  
><em>

-The 5th Day-

Naruto and Sakura stepped into the room with the other genin who passed. They looked around anxiously, and then saw Sasuke enter the room.

"Sasuke-kun/teme!"

Sasuke just grunted and joined them.

In front of them stood the Hokage, Anko, and all of their jōnin sensei. Even Haku was there.

"Hi Kakashi-sensei! Hi Haku!"

Haku and Kakashi smiled and waved at Naruto as Anko stepped forward.

"First off, congratulations on passing the second exam!"

The genin took the chance to look around the room. It seems 7 of the 27 teams had made it, including all three of the rookie teams.

Naruto narrowed his eyes and nodded his head a lot as the Hokage explained the reason for the third exam.

_Uh huh, uh huh, yea no idea what you're talking about Jiji, whatever I'll pass this exam for sure, dattebayo!_

As the Hokage was about to explain the third exam, everyone heard a cough. They turned to see a new Konoha shinobi appear, bowing to the Hokage. After asking permission he stood up and faced the crowd of genin.

"Hello everyone, I'm Hayate. Um before the third test, there's something I'd like you to do. Umm...it's a preliminary for the third test to decide who gets to participate in the main event."

The genin were a bit upset at this turn of events.

"Um...the first and second exams may have been too easy this year...we have a bit too many people remaining. According to Chūnin Exam rules we must have a preliminary and reduce the number of participants for the third exam. As Hokage-sama indicated, there will be guests at the third test. The fights could take too long, and we are limited on time. Umm...so anyway...those who are not feeling well...those who feel like quitting after these explanations, please come forward now. Since we will be starting the preliminary immediately."

Kabuto immediately raised his hand.

"Um...I'm going to quit."

Hayate looked at a clipboard.

"Um...you're Yakushi Kabuto from Konoha right? You may leave now. Umm...does anyone else want to retire? I forgot to mention it will be individual battling. You may raise your hand based on your own judgement."

"Um...now then, let's start the preliminary. This preliminary will consist of one on one fighting. You will basically fight as in a real life confrontation. Since we now have exactly 20 participants, we will conduct ten matches, and the winners will advance to the third exam. There are basically no rules. You fight until one of you dies, is knocked out, or admits defeat. Umm...if you don't want to die then admit your defeat quickly. But when I decide a winner has been clearly established, since we don't want to unnecessarily increase the number or corpses, I'll step in and stop it. And the object that controls your destiny..."

A panel on the front wall flipped to reveal an electronic screen.

"Is this. This electronic scoreboard will display the names for each match. Now, this is sudden but let's decide the first match."

Everyone stared as the scoreboard cycled through the names.

"The first match is..."


	4. Grah Se Sunvaar

Author's Note: Merry Christmas eve! As a present, I have another chapter for you!

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

* * *

><p>-Chapter 4: Grah Se Sunvaar (Battle of Beasts) -<p>

The electronic scoreboard cycled through the names of the genin, everyone quiet as they fixed their eyes on it.

Uzumaki Naruto vs. Sabaka no Gaara

Naruto jumped.

"All right! First to pass, dattebayo!"

Sasuke grunted.

"You haven't passed yet, idiot."

Naruot turned and shook his fist at Sasuke.

"Teme! I'm definitely going to win, dattebayo!"

Hayate covered his mouth as he coughed.

"Um…would everyone except the two combatants please move to the upper balconies. Team 7 wished Naruto good luck (or told him not to lose in Sasuke's case). However, as Team 8 passed by Kiba grabbed Naruto by his collar.

"Naruto, I know you're excited and all, but you've gotta give up now."

Naruto flashed Kiba a confused and angry look.

"What are you talking about Kiba? There's no way I'm going to quit, dattebayo!"

Kiba snarled at him.

"Idiot! I'm trying to save you! That guy's super strong! If you fight against him, you'll die!"

Shino nodded while Hinata just looked down.

"N-Naruto-kun…"

Naruto brushed off Kiba and turned towards Gaara and Hayate.

"I don't know what you're talking about but…"

Naruto turned back and gave them a smirk.

"I've gotten stronger too."

Kiba shook his head and turned away.

"Idiot. Well no skin off my back if you die! Come on guys."

Kiba and Shino turned to walk away. Hinata moved as if to say something more, then looked down and joined her team, tears in her eyes.

Naruto stood across from Gaara, Hayate in between them.

"Um, let the first match, begin!"

With that Naruto threw some kunai at Gaara. Gaara made no move to block or dodge, to Naruto's surprise. However, as the kunai approached, sand flew out of the gourd on Gaara's back and blocked the attack.

"What's going on?"

Gaara then raised his hands and the sand shot at Naruto. Naruto jumped back and dodged.

"Let's see you block this, dattebayo! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Roughly twenty Naruto clones appeared all around Gaara, and all threw kunai at him. The sand, however, shot back and blocked all the kunai, surrounding Gaara in a sphere of sand. The sand then shot out and began attacking and dispelling clones, who did their best to dodge.

Sakura gasped.

"Sand? What's going on?"

One of Gaara's teammates, Kankuro, kept his eyes on the match.

"All physical attacks are useless against Gaara because, regardless of his will, the sand becomes a shield and protects him. That's why, up to now, there's never been a single person who's even put a scratch on Gaara."

Kakashi looked on worried while the genin around him gasped.

"With his speed and available jutsu, there's no way Naruto can get through something like that."

Gai smirked.

"I wouldn't be too sure, my rival!"

Gai made a nice guy pose as he shouted out to Naruto.

"Naruto, take em off!"

Naruto smiled.

"All right! Thanks Gai-sensei!"

Naruto jumped up onto the statue at the end of the hall to avoid another sand wave. He then lifted his pants legs to reveal weights around his ankle.

Gaara's other teammate, Temari, smirked.

_Pft...there's now way taking off a little weight will let him keep up with Gaara's sand._

Naruto dropped the weights, which caused small explosions of dust as they left craters in the ground.

Everyone but Lee and Gai's eyes went wide, especially Kakashi's.

"Gai, what on earth?"

Gai chuckled.

"Oh Kakashi, you don't know what a genius of hard work you have! His taijutsu is still quite sloppy in terms of technique and skill; he's hardly a beginner in that regard. But in terms of raw strength and speed, he's almost caught up to Lee!"

Naruto pointed at Gaara.

"All right! Prepare to be beaten, dattebayo!"

Naruto formed four more kage bunshin and all five of them vanished. Gaara's eyes widened and he looked around in shock as he was surrounded by flying sand that was closer and closer to him, the sand trying desperately to keep up with the barrage of multiple, lightning fast attacks coming from all directions. Kakashi smiled.

_No Gai. One Naruto has almost caught up to Lee in terms of strength and speed. But with his kage bunshin multiplying his attacks, Naruto's assault is even more overwhelming than Lee's would be! The dead-last of Konoha has become first!_

It wasn't long before one of the Naruto clones bypassed the sand shield, punching Gaara straight in the jaw and sending him flying. Another clone was instantly under Gaara, kicking him into the air before the sand could catch up. As Gaara flew up, all five Naruto's appeared around Gaara, ready to punch. Suddenly a wave of sand flew out of all directions as Gaara turned his gourd into sand, dispelling the clones and sending the real Naruto flying. Naruto got back up, and to his surprise saw Gaara laughing madly.

"This pain…you….you will make me feel the most alive!"

Naruto looked in confusion.

"What do you mea…."

Naruto's question trailed off as he looked into Gaara's eyes. There, he saw all the pain, all the hurt, all the rage, and all the hatred he once held for the villagers. He saw in Gaara the same loneliness and darkness he had once experienced.

"Hehehe, you see it too, don't you? You and I…we're the same! We both have known the pain of loneliness...the pain of being a monster..."

Naruto's eyes widened in fright.

_This guy…he's like me! No…now I have Iruka-sensei, and Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan, and Sasuke, and Haku, and everyone else. But this guy, this guy's still all alone, still in the darkness. I don't know if I can beat him!_

Gaara smiled as the sand swirled around him, forming into a sphere.

"Live only for yourself, fight only for yourself! Killing others confirms my existence and killing you, one like me, one who can hurt me, will confirm it most of all!"

With that, Gaara vanished into the middle of a giant sphere of sand. The Suna-team's eyes widened, especially the jōnin's.

_Gaara! What are you doing! You can't use that now, you'll ruin the plan completely!_

Kankuro turned to the jōnin.

"Baki-sensei, what are we going to do?"

Baki shook his head.

"What can we do?"

Team 7 and Haku looked on, worried.

"What's wrong with Naruto? Why isn't he attacking now?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"Something about that boy has him shaken up."

Kakashi thought about Gaara's words, especially the "same as me" part. He turned and looked at the Suna team.

_Could it be that that boy is a….but why is he here? What are you planning?_

Haku took a breath.

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked up at Haku, surprised.

"I don't know what's the matter or what that boy meant by you're the same! But it doesn't matter! You have friends who are counting on you to win! Remember what you told me! We don't want you to give up, no matter how grim it seems! For our sake, you can't lose!"

Naruto's eyes widened.

_Haku…_

Naruto thought back to his first conversation with Haku, when Haku asked if he had someone special to fight for, and that only having something special to protect can make you truly strong.

Naruto turned to the sphere, a new fire in his eye.

_I don't know if I can beat this guy, but Haku's right. I can't give up here! I have friends, waiting for me to win! And for some reason, I really don't want to lose to this guy!_

Naruto vanished and appeared high above the sphere, pulling out a scroll.

"Super-advanced finishing jutsu: Uzumaki Naruto Dragon Slayer Strike!"

Naruto unsealed his giant sword as everyone sweat-dropped or chuckled at the name. He grabbed the handle and began falling towards the sphere….

Then a giant paw of sand shot out towards him. Naruto put his feet on the sword and leaped away as the paw crashed into the ceiling. The sphere of sand now fell away, revealing a tanuki (raccoon) made of sand where Gaara once stood. Kakashi's eye narrowed.

_There can be no doubt now._

Kakashi shunshin-ed next to Sandaime.

"Hokage-sama"

Sandaime grunted.

"I know."

Kakashi's eyes widened.

"Then stop the match! Naruto's in incredible danger!"

The Hokage shook his head.

"There's no stopping that boy now, one target or another he will fight. And we couldn't be more fortunate with the choice of opponent. Naruto may be the only one who can fight him and survive."

Kakashi looked desperate.

"But Hokage-sama!"

Sandaime interrupted.

"I'm glad you're so concerned with your student, Kakashi. But believe in Naruto as Yondaime did!"

Naruto's eyes were wide as he dodged a swipe from the transformed Gaara.

"How the heck am I supposed to stop this, dattebayo?"

Naruto then locked in on Gaara's tail for some reason.

"I have an idea! Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

Several Naruto clones appeared and charged towards Gaara, punching him, though with little effect. Gaara roared and swiped again with his right paw, catching and dispelling one of the clones. The others leaped in the air and threw a round of shuriken. Gaara blocked it with his left hand, then took a deep breath.

"Fūton: Daitoppa! (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)

A huge gale of wind shot out of Gaara's mouth, full of his sand. Naruto's clones vanished in the sand-filled blast.

Gaara looked up as the smoke cleared, revealing all the Narutos to be clones now dispelled.

"Konoha secret technique: One thousand years of pain!"

Naruto was crouching under Gaara's tail, and thrust a kunai with an exploding tag on it. He jumped back as the tag exploded, leaving half of Gaara's sand body sagging.

_He's good! It didn't hurt me, but look at what it did to my body!_

"I'm not done yet, dattebayo!"

Naruto kicked Gaara into the air, and a hundred Naruto's appeared around him, moving to punch. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"This…this is Naruto?"

All the other Konoha rookies, especially Team 8, grunted their mutual surprise. The Narutos continued the pummel Gaara. Then Naruto, assisted by two clones, appeared in the air behind Gaara, all three holding Kubikiribōchō, preparing an overhead slash with his giant sword.

"I don't care if you're just like me! I promised my friends I'd become Hokage! And I can't lose until then, dattebayo!"

The Suna team gasped as Naruto's sword was about to connect with Gaara.

There was a massive explosion of sand that not only threw Naruto back, but threw everyone back into the forest outside and destroyed the tower. Everyone picked themselves up out of the bushes, then stared up in awe. Where the tower once stood, was a giant tanuki made of sand.

"Hehehe, look what you brought out of me! But it's time to die. Sabaku Kyū! (Desert Coffin) "

Naruto was too surprised to notice the sand whirling around him. Hinata gasped, knowing what came after that.

"NARUTO-KUN!"

"Sabaku Sōsō! (Sand Burial)"

"**FEIM!**"

As the sand imploded, a transparent blue Naruto jumped out of the sand and into the bushes, unharmed. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura appeared next to him.

"Kakashi-sensei! How the heck am I supposed to fight this thing, dattebayo?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"You're not. The Chūnin Exams are over."

Naruto almost fell over in shock.

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"That boy, he's a jinchūriki like you. This is the beast sealed inside of him. But villages don't send jinchūriki to participate in Chūnin Exams, they send them to win wars. Him being here is an act of war by Suna. I want you three to get ready to run."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Kakashi turned as Anko appeared behind them and pointed.

"Look."

"I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE!"

The Ota-trio burst out of the bushes, Zaku running madly while the other two at least tried to stay hidden as they tried to flee. Gaara made a handsign.

"If I can't find you…Shukaku will!"

"Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu! (Play Possum Jutsu!)"

With that, Gaara fell asleep, and slipped into the sand. The giant tanuki's grew eyes, which began looking around.

"**Yahoo! Finally free! And look! Someone to play with!"**

The giant tanuki took a huge breath.

"Fūton: Renkūdan! (Wind Style: Air Bullet)"

A giant blast of wind exploded out of its mouth, flattening the forest in front of him. Zaku and the kunoichi were killed instantly, the third genin trapped under a tree. Kakashi froze, however, when he heard a roar that did not come from the raging bijū.

_There couldn't be a worse moment_.

A huge dragon, much larger than the one from before though still small compared to Shukaku, landed next to the struggling genin.

"**Yul….toor shul!"**

With that, the last Ota genin was engulfed in flames.

Sandaime and his ANBU landed behind Kakashi.

"Kakashi! This is it, right?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Yes but this one is different. It's much larger than the earlier one, it's black and it has more spikes. And something about it, feels different."

The dragon flew up and faced Shukaku.

"**Whoa? What's this? A dragon? I didn't know there were dragons! Well let's see how long you last!"**

The dragon's eyes narrowed.

"**Fos daar? Faal Rahreyth suleyk?**** Hin duziirah mindok nid grooe! Zu'u fen krii hi, Dovahkiin!" **(What's this? The God-Tree's power? Your insolence knows no bounds! I will kill you, Dragonborn!)

Shukaku took a breath and sent out another blast of wind. The dragon also took a breath.

"**Yul…toor shul!"**

This time instead of a stream of fire, the dragon sent out a giant fireball. The fireball collided with the wind blast, and exploded into a giant wave of fire. Shukaku jumped back, but his left arm was caught in the flame and turned to glass. As Shukaku landed, the dragon swooped past and struck the glass arm with his claws, shattering it.

"**YEOW! THAT BURNED! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"**

The dragon flew high above Shukaku and opened its mouth. This time came a sound like thunder, and dark, red clouds circled in the sky. Flaming meteors began falling from the sky.

"**YEOW! YEOW! STOP THAT!"**

The dragon swooped down right in front of Shukaku.

"**FUS…ROH DAH!"**

A huge blast of energy slammed into Shukaku and he fell backwards. As he got back up the dragon swooped and landed on his back.

"**Yul…toor shul!"**

The dragon unleased a blast of fire into Shukaku's back, then smashed it with his foot. At the bottom of the hole was Gaara, asleep. The dragon roared, waking him up. Gaara stared up in pure terror at the monstrosity standing above him while Shukaku's eyes faded.

"**NOOOO! I JUST GOT OUT!"**

"**Yel Rahreyth suleyk nis sav hi nu!"** (Even the God-Tree's power cannot save you now!)

Gaara reached his hand up, trying to encase the dragon in sand. But the dragon's neck shot down into the hole and he grabbed Gaara in his mouth, ripping him out of Shukaku's body. He swung Gaara around violently before flinging him out into the woods. Team 7, Anko, and Sandaime ducked as Gaara fell in between them. They turned back to the dragon, expecting it to attack. The dragon flew over the remains of the tower once more, unleashed a blast of fire that set the ruins ablaze, and then flew out away from the forest. Anko ran over and checked Gaara's vital signs

"Hokage-sama he's still alive, but he's fading fast!"

Sandaime made a handsign.

"Anko! Everyone! Get back!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"Hokage-sama, are you going to use…"

Sandaime nodded.

"When a jinchūriki dies the bijū dies too, and will regenerate somewhere else. But sometimes the bijū escapes the seal as the host weakens, and will appear immediately and on the spot. In which case there's no other way for us to stop it."

As Sandaime spoke Gaara screamed and chakra began rising out of his body. Sandaime prepared, waiting to finish the jutsu. Suddenly chakra burst out of Gaara.

"**FREE! Wait…what is this? NOOOOOOOO!"**

The chakra at first began flying towards the sky, then stopped and began swirling downwards towards the shinobi. Everyone jumped out of the way but the chakra surged past them.

"GAH! That burns, dattebayo!"

Everyone watched in shock as the chakra became a spiral that swirled…around Naruto and into his stomach. After a few minutes the chakra finally finished…some strange markings appearing right above Naruto's seal as he fell back, unconscious.

-Inside the Seal-

The Kyūbi opened an eye, resting behind the gate in the sewer that was his prison and home.

"**Hm…Shukaku. If I'm lucky he'll force this brat to use my chakra, start breaking down this seal.**"

With that, the Kyūbi returned to his nap.

When he opened his eye again, he saw Shukaku's jinchūriki lying on the ground.

"**Looks like he didn't need my help…too bad."**

Suddenly chakra began swirling through the sewer. The Kyūbi watched with a tiny bit of interest. His interest grew, however, as the chakra swirled past the bars and settled next to him. It began forming into a shape.

"**Oh great, as if this brat wasn't enough now I have to deal with you too."**

"**What?! Where am I?! Why are you here, you stupid fox?!"**

The Kyūbi snarled.

"**I was here first, stupid tanuki. Now stop your shouting, I'm trying to sleep"**

Shukaku's face contorted in rage.

"**Why I oughta! Wait, you don't mean, I'm inside that other brat now?!"**

The Kyūbi attempted to ignore him.

"**LET ME OUT OF HERE! I CAN'T BE STUCK AGAIN! NOT WITH THIS STUPID FOX!"**

The Kyūbi covered his ears and sighed. His wait for escape just got significantly longer.

-Konoha Council Room-

Sandaime, his advisors, the Chūnin Exam Proctors, the clan leaders, and all the jōnin sat around a table.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. We have several situations, all of the gravest urgency. First of all, Orochimaru has infiltrated the village…."

All the jōnin gasped and began discussing until they realized the Hokage hadn't finished.

"…It also seems Suna sent the Ichibi Jinchūriki into the Chūnin Exams…."

More interruptions. The Hokage waited patiently for a minute or two.

"yes…Shukaku was released, but was defeated…"

Everyone cheered.

"…by a huge dragon and…"

Everyone gasped and started talking again. Sandaime sighed and closed his eyes. Anko slammed her fist on the table.

"QUIET everyone! The Hokage isn't finished!"

The Hokage sighed once more.

"Thank you, Anko. As I was saying Shukaku was defeated by a dragon, and then apparently absorbed into Naruto."

At this the Hokage lost all semblance of control over the room. Sandaime simply waited the ten or so minutes it took for everyone to quiet down enough to be heard.

"Now let's start with Orochimaru and Suna. It is clear that both were up to something, and I can't help but feel it was not a coincidence both were here. In addition, we've received intel that Orochimaru claimed to be in charge of the shinobi from Otagakure. I think it's safe to assume Suna had hostile intent, and was potentially working with Orochimaru."

The advisor with bandages over his eyes named Danzō slammed his fist on the table.

"What more is there to discuss? This was clearly an act of war."

Sandaime shook his head.

"Whatever the intent, the plot has been foiled by the recent turn of events. But, it is clear now that the current situation cannot continue…"

Danzō nodded his approval while the jōnin looked worried. However, all were shocked at the Hokage's next words.

"Which is why I've decided to revise the alliance with Suna. We shall coordinate more closely with them on missions, and we will reduce the number of missions we accept from Kaze no Kuni, split proceeds on all our missions in Kaze no Kuni and all their missions in Hi no Kuni, and send some of our teachers to improve their academy and boost relations."

The other advisors, Homura and Koharu, stood up in outrage.

"Hokage-sama! You can't be serious! Suna was clearly planning a heavy attack on Konoha! And now you want to cater to their desires?! No village will respect Konoha after this!"

The Nara Clan leader, Shikaku, shook his head.

"Hokage-sama…if I may?"

The Hokage nodded.

"The Hokage's decision, while strange at first, actually has great merit. For one, Konoha was not damaged by Suna's plan. The village at large and therefore the other villages as well are not aware of what occurred. There is no need for us to fight in order to protect our reputation. In addition, punishing Suna would not be in our best interests."

Danzō's exposed eye narrowed at the Nara leader.

"What do you mean?"

Shikaku turned to Danzō.

"Konoha didn't take any damage from this, but minus one jinchūriki neither did Suna. They may not attack us now, but they are still capable of defending themselves. If we tried to attack and destroy them, we'd suffer heavy casualties, and be left vulnerable to another village. In addition we'd become untrustworthy, assaulting an ally seemingly without cause. However, if we took a more limited approach, say imposing harsher terms on Suna, we'd only push them into a more and more desperate situation. In that case, they'd have no choice but to betray us again."

Homura and Koharu still looked skeptical.

"But to let them go unpunished…"

At this Sandaime intervened.

"They've already been punished. They lost a jinchūriki for the price of a normally empty tower. That's a major blow in and of itself, and a clear demonstration of our strength. They know we are in a position to punish them. We will show sympathy to their situation and try to bind our villages closer together, but rest assured, I will make sure the Kazekage is aware that it is only by our choice that war is avoided. Now, to the next issue…"

Homura and Koharu sat down, but their eyes narrowed.

"Yes, we are wondering why we were not informed about the existence of dragons, or Orochimaru's presence."

Sandaime grunted, resisting the urge to rub his temples.

"Orochimaru's presence is a new development, I learned of it only shortly before the completion of the Second Exam. As for dragons, at first they did not seem a major threat. Kakashi, can you elaborate?"

Kakashi nodded.

"I encountered the first dragon. It was strong, but not worryingly so. Despite being injured and using most of our chakra against each other, Zabuza and I with the help of our subordinates were able to kill it. Had I encountered it before fighting Zabuza, I could have defeated it on my own. The dragon that defeated Shukaku is on a whole different level than the dragon I encountered."

Sandaime nodded.

"Thank you, Kakashi. As Kakashi said, dragons on their first appearance were a concern but not a major one. There was only one dragon sighting in a minor, isolated nation, therefore it did not seem to pose a threat to the village at the time. We had nothing to indicate that there were dragons capable of defeating bijū, or that they were already present near Konoha."

Homura and Koharu nodded, somewhat placated but still unhappy.

"So what do you plan to do about it?"

Sandaime nodded.

"Both Orochimaru and this dragon warrant concern. We will take steps to prepare the village. I devote resources to researching dragons and potential countermeasures, and we will tighten village security as far as we can without alarming the population. We will also begin investigating this new village, Otagakure, and it's possible connections with Orochimaru."

Danzō grunted.

"Fine…but what of the Kyūbi boy?"

Everyone nodded. The Hyūga clan leader, Hiashi, stared intensely at the table.

"How is such a thing even possible?"

Kakashi simply smiled.

"Well, it's never been attempted before…"

Danzō shook his head.

"Most people can't handle the power of even one bijū. To contain two…I'm surprised the boy is still alive. But he can't possibly be stable. We should take steps immediately."

Kakashi stood up at this, giving Danzō a death glare.

"If you are proposing to harm Naruto…"

Sandaime interrupted.

"Kakashi, I know you are concerned for your student, but I will handle this."

Kakashi bowed and apologized, and took his seat.

"Now, it is a matter of concern. But this boy is also an Uzumaki, as such he may be capable of more than we expect. In addition, there is another factor, Kakashi?"

"When we killed the first dragon, Naruto absorbed some sort of energy from it. He was subsequently able to access memories from the dragon. I believe now he absorbed the dragon's soul and life-force. He may have done something similar when Shukaku's host was killed."

Everyone's eyes widened at this. Danzō was about to speak but Sandaime cut him off.

"Yes, it seems Naruto may have an innate ability which we were not aware of. But this may make him more resilient as a jinchūriki. In any case, I have no plans to constrain Naruto as a result of this."

Danzō, Homura, Koharu, and a few of the others looked as if they were about to protest, but Sandaime raised his hand.

"For one, I will examine Naruto's seal myself. Secondly, I will keep our Mokuton-user on standby in the village until we are confident in Naruto's stability. Finally, you would do well to remember that had Naruto not done this, a bijū would have attacked our village, this time without Yondaime. Therefore, this is the second time Naruto has saved Konoha from a bijū attack."

Danzō's eyes narrowed.

"Still, he is both a major asset and a vulnerability. If he were to be attacked and killed or pushed to the edge, disaster would result."

Sandaime turned to Danzō.

"I am well aware. Suffice to say I have a solution in mind, and the less people who know the details of such the better."

His advisors seemed unhappy but they sat down, unable to complain. Sandaime allowed himself a sigh of relief.

"In that case, this meeting is adjourned. If your services are required in any of the aforementioned steps, I will contact you later. Now, if the jōnin and examiners would join me, we still have the matter of the Chūnin Exams to resolve."

-Outside the Konoha Hospital-

Sasuke leaned against a pole while Sakura paced back and forth.

"Do you think…Naruto will be ok?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"That knuckledhead never stays down for long."

Sakura almost smiled.

"Hey guys!"

Sakura whirled around to see Naruto walking out of the hospital, strolling and waving. Sasuke grunted.

"Told you."

Sakura ran to Naruto.

"Naruto! What happened?"

Naruto smiled and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Not really sure. There was all this light, it felt like chakra was surging into me. Then there was this pain in my stomach and it kind of went dark after that. Had these weird dreams though. There was this giant fox and a giant tanuki, and they seemed to be arguing."

While Sasuke and Sakura sweat-dropped at the seemingly irrelevant tangent, Kakashi appeared among them in a puff of smoke.

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi flipped the page of his newly purchased book.

"Glad to see you're feeling well Naruto. Looks like you'll be able to continue the Chūnin Exams!"

Kakashi smiled as the genin took a step back in shock.

"You mean, the exams are still on, after all that?!"

Kakashi gave a thumbs up.

"Yep! Meet at the Hokage's Office tomorrow morning at eight o clock. See you there!"

With that, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke.

-Outside the Hokage's Office, 8:00am-

Team 7 came to the Hokage's Office. They nearly fell over in shock as they saw Kakashi, for once, on time. Kakashi was standing with Sandaime and a bunch of jōnin, in front of them were the other Konoha genin who had passed the Second Exam. Sandaime took a step forward as Team 7 joined the others.

"Good good, now that we're all here we can begin. As you may have guessed, the original Third Exam has been cancelled due to recent events. However, we haven't forgotten your performance on the first and second exams. Therefore, we've decided to continue the exam for our own village. However, as we are comrades and don't wish for self-inflicted casualties, we have decided not to continue with individual battles. Instead, you will be sent on a series of increasingly dangerous missions with various jōnin. The teams will be mixed and matched, so we see how well you can adapt to different situations and teammates. During these missions the jōnin will be watching your performance, and may give you more leeway than you are used to, perhaps even allowing you to lead missions yourselves. We will decide from there if you are ready to become a chūnin. Now, Hayate will announce the first team. The first three who are called, come into my office, the rest of you are dismissed and will be contacted when your time is ready."

Sandaime went back inside his office. Hayate walked forward, and looked at a clipboard. Naruto looked around, bored as Hayate went through the names, none of which were his.

_Man, I might not be with Sakura-chan anymore! Oh well, at least I won't have to deal with Sasuke-teme for a while, he's getting really moody, dattebayo!_

-Naruto's House, the next day-

Naruto pulled himself to the door, whole body burning from the morning workout. However, he was surprised to see Kakashi inside his apartment.

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here?"

Kakashi smiled.

"Oh, just letting you know the Hokage wants to see you."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"All right! Time for my first mission!"

With that Naruto jumped out the window, rushing to the Hokage's office. Kakashi chuckled.

"To have such energy after a Gai workout. Sometimes Naruto you are truly frightening."


	5. Mon do Vulon

Author's note: Merry Christmas!

The reviews mention that I may have made Naruto overpowered. I know. Cuz YOLO. I may give him sand, but not sand shield given revelations from the war. But yes, there will be buffs to other enemies, including dragons. I'm thinking a range of dragon strengths, right now we have to two extremes, the weakest initial dragons which lose to Team 7 or a jonin, and Alduin who can single-handedly take on a biju without a scratch, and who will be buffed himself. At this point the dragons are just realizing humanity is much stronger than they remember, so they won't be as weak in the future Unless I stop writing again.

As to whether or not there are multiple dragonborns, that depends on whether I get to the Dragonborn DLC haha. As for Alduin referring to Gaara as dragonborn, that was a mistake by Alduin. While Alduin shows some ability to sense the Dragonborn, we see in Helgen that it is not perfect. He knows vaguely where, but not who. Same deals. He knew the Dragonborn was in the area, and given that Dosu and Gaara were the only two people he noticed he assumed that it was Gaara.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

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><p>-Chapter 5: Mon do Vulon (Daughter of the Night)-<p>

-Skuldafn-

The dragon that slew Gaara flew over the mountains towards an ancient fortress. He landed in a clearing, mummified bodies, skeletons, and a few living humans coming to meet him. One of the humans stepped forward.

"Drem yol lok Alduin, Lein Naakin! Lingrah lost mu pek hin daal! (Greetings Alduin, World Eater! Long have we awaited your return!)"

Alduin growled.

"**Zu'u honah gorm do Rahreyth suleyk ko dovahkiin. Gesaag zey, fos rakrovedde lost jul drehlaan ko dii saark? **(I sensed a portion of the god tree's power in the dragonborn. Tell me, what blasphemies have the humans done in my absence?)**"**

**-**Hokage's Office-

Naruto stepped into the Hokage's Office.

"Yo Jiji! Where am I going for this mission? Huh, where's everyone else?"

Naruto looked around confused as he was the only genin in the room. There was however, a man with long, spikey, grey hair. Sandaime chuckled.

"They'll be here soon, we have some business with you first. Naruto, I'd like to introduce you to Jiraiya."

Naruto scratched his head confused.

"Who's that?"

Jiraiya and Sandaime sweatdropped. Then Jiraiya made a pose.

"Only Yondaime's sensei!"

Naruto suddenly went from bored confusion to utter awe at the man standing in front of him. Sandaime chuckled again.

"Naruto, would you show Jiraiya your seal?"

Naruto, still confused and awed, lifted his shirt and channeled his chakra, causing the seal to appear. Jiraiya crouched down and examined it.

"The original seal seems intact. I don't recognize these markings; they are unlike any seal I've ever seen. The seal seems to have adapted, however, it appears to be stable."

Sandaime breathed a sign of relief as Naruto looked up confused.

"What's going on, Jiji?"

Sandaime took a breath.

"Naruto, you know you are the Kyūbi jinchūriki, correct?"

Naruto nodded, sadly as unpleasant memories filled his head.

"Well, the boy you fought was the Ichibi jinchūriki. Normally when a jinchūriki dies, the bijū inside is either also killed and regenerates somewhere else later, or is immediately released. We're not sure how, but this time when Gaara died, you somehow absorbed the Ichibi into your seal."

Naruto grabbed his head and jumped around.

"WHAAAAAT?! YOU MEAN I HAVE TWO BIJŪ INSIDE ME?!"

Jiraiya and Sandaime nodded. Naruto folded his arms.

"Great, just great."

Suddenly Naruto's eyes opened. He quickly made a kage bunshin, which punched him in the face.

"OUCH!"

Sandaime and Jiraiya sweat-dropped.

"Uh, Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto rubbed his jaw.

"Aw man! If I'm gonna have that raccoon thing sealed inside me, I should at least get that cool sand shield, dattebayo!"

Sandaime and Jiraiya chuckled as Naruto pouted over his lack of cool sand shields.

"There's another issue, Naruto. As a double jinchūriki, it's very important that you are protected. If you were to be killed, two bijū would be released simultaneously. As such, we're going to have someone watch you."

Naruto stayed in his pouting pose.

"What do you mean, Jiji? How can I go on missions then?"

Sandaime waved his hands.

"Oh don't worry, it won't interfere with your status as a Konoha shinobi. And I think you'll like our choice. Please come in."

Naruto turned as the door opened, and smiled as he saw who walked in.

"Naruto, I assign Haku to be your personal bodyguard."

Haku bowed.

"Naruto, I swear to protect you and everything you care about with my life."

Naruto laughed happily.

"So Haku's going to protect me? I guess I can live with that."

Everyone in the room chuckled as the door opened again. This time, Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Kiba entered the room.

"Ugh, you two? This is going to be troublesome."

Kiba growled.

"Oh boy, the lazy guy and...well I guess you're not dead last anymore, Naruto. Can't complain after that match."

Sandaime nodded.

"Good everyone's here. Thank you all for coming. Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, you will work as a team for your first Chūnin Exam mission. Your jōnin sensei for this mission is Kakashi, Haku will accompany you and provide support if necessary. Here is your mission."

Sandaime unrolled a scroll.

"Your first mission is a C-ranked mission, this is a village mission so there is no client. You will head to the east coast of Hi no Kuni. A temple there was attacked recently, and we would like to know why. It is most likely bandit activity, but the target of a temple is strange so we need someone to double check. Your mission is primarily investigative, engaging the enemy is not necessary or recommended, but is permitted given Kakashi's approval. You are not likely to encounter enemy shinobi, but it is always a possibility as you have discovered, Naruto, which is why Haku will accompany your team. You may leave as soon or as late as you are ready. Dismissed."

-Gates of Konoha, a few hours later-

Kakashi's team gathered after a short time for preparation and packing. Naruto stepped forward and raised his fist.

"All right team, let's go!"

Shikamaru yawned while Kiba sweatdropped.

"You know, Naruto, Kakashi is still mission leader, right?"

Naruto turned angrily.

"I know that! I'm on his team after all, dattebayo!"

Kakashi just chuckled as he stepped forward.

"Well, we might as well get moving"

-The Temple, a few days later-

"Are we there yet?"

"You've asked that every hour now."

"Shut up, stupid dog!"

"You shut up, idiot!"

Shikamaru sighed as Haku broke up Naruto and Kiba. Again.

"Those two are so troublesome."

Suddenly Kiba turned and sniffed the air.

"Do you smell that?"

Kakashi nodded grimly.

"It seems we're here."

The five exited the forest to see what was left of the temple. Most of it had been burned to the ground, leaving charred remains.

"Let's spread out and search for survivors. Kiba, go with Haku. Shikamaru, come with me. Naruto, make some kage bunshin and watch the perimeter. This happened a while ago, but it's possible the enemy is still in the area, so be on guard."

The genin and Haku complied, though Naruto was less than thrilled at guard duty and Shikamaru was less than thrilled at not getting the least active job.

* * *

><p>Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he walked through the rubble. Shikamaru frowned.<p>

"Something's wrong."

Kakashi nodded.

"What do you see?"

Shikamaru crouched by a pile of rubble, pulling out a kunai and the remains of a hanging wall scroll.

"From the variety of weapons, and the inscriptions on these scrolls...this was a ninja temple."

Kakashi nodded.

"It's clear, enemy shinobi are involved."

Shikamaru sighed.

"This mission just got a whole lot more troublesome."

Kakashi nodded.

_If this was a ninja temple there were not just enemy shinobi involved, but either many of them, or some of them were at least jōnin level. This is just like the Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) mission. We'll have to be especially careful._

Kakashi's thoughts were broken by a yell from Kiba.

"Kakashi-sensei! Shikamaru! We found a survivor!"

Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Kiba gathered around the injured monk as Haku analyzed his wounds. Haku shook her head. Kakashi bent down to talk to him.

"Easy, easy, we're here to help. Can you tell us what happened here?"

The monk nodded weakly, and began to speak with a weak, raspy voice, barely a whisper.

"It came so fast...we were not prepared. We had found some sort of cave, called Dimhollow, one of our brothers thought it held some ancient artifact. They asked about it...show me a map and I will mark its location."

Shikamaru unrolled a scroll with a map of the area and gave the monk a pen, who weakly marked a spot on a nearby mountain.

"Please...avenge us..."

With that the monk breathed his last. Shikamaru sighed. Kakashi nodded.

"Yes, we need to find this cave."

-Outside Dimhollow Cave-

The five hid in the bushes outside of the cave.

"From here on, this mission is extremely dangerous. Our opponents are definitely chūnin level shinobi, perhaps even jōnin level. I'm confident we can still succeed, but from now on you must obey my orders immediately and without question. I'm hoping we can avoid a fight, but if we can't you three are only to engage on my command, understood?"

The three genin gulped and nodded. Kakashi turned forward.

"Good, let's go."

The five shinobi leaped towards the cave.

They entered the cave, hidden in the shadows. As they stood near the entrance they looked inside. There was a large cavern. By the entrance there were outcroppings on the wall, with a small pond in the center of the cavern. On the far side of the cavern there was a gate with torches. There were also two figures, one male and one female, and a black dog, standing over three bodies.

"These monks don't know when to quit. I thought they would've learned when we burned their temple."

"To come in here alone, a fool like the rest of them."

"He fought well though, Jeron and Bresoth were no match for him."

"Ha. Those two got what they deserved. Their arrogance had become insufferable."

"All this talk is making me thirsty. Perhaps another monk will wander in here."

Kakashi motioned for the other four to come close as the two continued their conversation. He whispered.

"I don't think we can avoid them. But if a single monk killed two of them when there were four, I think we can handle these two. Here's the plan."

As the two sat down, kunai shot towards them. The two figures looked up and jumped as quickly as they could, dodging the kunai. Shikamaru's shadow shot out of the darkness and connected with theirs, immobilizing them.

"Kage mane no jutsu, successful. (Shadow Possession Jutsu)"

The shinobi leaped out of the shadows, pin-cushioning the dog with kunai, who fell over. Kakashi pulled out two more kunai and held them, ready to throw.

"As you can see, you're outnumbered and already caught in our jutsu. Now tell me, who are you and what are you doing here?"

The two just laughed.

"You fools, you think we'd be so unprepared?"

The two vanished, revealing themselves to be bunshin. The five shinobi scattered as kunai with explosive tags landed where they once were. One of the enemy shot out of the shadows towards Shikamaru. Haku responded first, tossing several senbon into the enemy. The enemy ignored the attack and continued forward, but was kicked away by Naruto.

"Kakashi!"

"What is it, Haku?"

"I hit him in vital spots, he shouldn't have been able to move!"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

_What's going on...bunshin? No, Haku and Naruto's attacks would have revealed it, even if it were a tougher kind of clone. Not a healing jutsu, it still would've disabled him for a moment while it healed. It must be some sort of defensive jutsu, but what?_

The female enemy shot towards Kakashi. He slashed her across the chest but she continued her assault. Kakashi slid under a strike from her and kicked her in the back. She stumbled and her face fell into one of the torches. She jumped back, hissing in pain and clawing at the burning part of her face. Kakashi's eyes widened.

_So their jutsu doesn't work against fire!_

Kakashi quickly made some handsigns.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)"

The woman screamed as she was engulfed in flames, and fell over. Kakashi looked at Shikamaru who grabbed one of the torches just as the man emerged from the shadows again to attack Kiba. Shikamaru tossed the torch to Haku who threw it straight in the man's head. He roared in pain as Naruto unsealed Kubikiribōchō, held by him and two other clones, and slashes sideways. The tip of the sword slashed the man's back, leaving a huge gash, and the man fell to the ground The five shinobi gathered around their fallen opponents.

"Kakashi-sensei! Who were these guys?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"I'm not sure Naruto. But it's clear they have some sort of defense jutsu that allows them to resist minor attacks. However, it seems they are still vulnerable to fire and to powerful attacks. Let's move, there's not much more we can learn from here." They found a lever near the door, opening the gate. The five moved slowly through a tunnel, Kiba and Kakashi leading. Kiba sniffed the air.

"I think there's someone in that next cavern."

Kakashi moved into the cavern and saw a single woman standing at the end of it. He pulled out a kunai.

_Let's see how much damage we need to do._

"Get ready in case this fails."

Kakashi threw the kunai hard at the woman's head. The kunai buried itself into her head and she fell over.

_Ok, so kunai can still work, they just need to be thrown stronger than usual._

As the five started walking into the cavern, blue light began swirling around them. More specifically around skeletons around them, which rose to their feet, brandishing swords, bows, and axes. Naruto and Kiba jumped back in shock.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?! SKELETONS?!"

A skeleton charged at Naruto, who was still in shock. Haku appeared in front of him, slashing at the skeleton with a kunai. The skeleton fell apart.

"Don't worry, they aren't that strong."

With that, Naruto and Kiba grinned and attacked, destroying the skeletons with ease.

As they proceeded into the next tunnel, they heard the sounds of fighting. They moved into a passageway and saw some more enemy shinobi...fighting what appeared to be living corpses. The corpses were no match for the shinobi, and fell easily. Then, a casket on the wall fell forward, and another armored corpse stepped out. The shinobi charged at it...

"**FUS...ROH DAH!**"

The corpse let out a shout and knocked the shinobi away with a blast of energy that left Kakashi and Naruto in shock. However, as the corpse hoisted its axe and prepared to attack a shinobi appeared behind it, slitting its throat and causing it die...again. The enemy shinobi gathered in a group...Kakashi, praising his good fortune, made some handsigns and shot another fireball. The enemy shinobi were caught off-guard, and engulfed in the flames.

The group proceeded through the passageway into another tunnel. As they came to the end of the tunnel, they saw another cavern, filled with several skeletons and an enemy shinobi at the end of it. Kakashi whispered a plan to the group.

The enemy shinobi looked up as Naruto charged into the room, destroying skeletons left and right. As he smashed through the last skeleton, the enemy appeared behind him, stabbing him in the back with a kunai. However, Naruto's clone vanished in a puff of smoke as a shadow shot forth, immobilizing the shinobi. He was thus unable to dodge the fireball that came from the shadows.

The group proceeded into another hallway. They saw another shinobi at the end of it, and several more black hounds. Kiba grew claws and charged at the shinobi.

"Tsūga! (Tunneling Fang)"

Kiba became a spinning whirlwind that drilled into the enemy. The attack left a large hole in the enemy's back. The other shinobi stepped forward as they cleaned up the hounds. They walked up a staircase to find a gate. Inside they saw a shinobi fighting a giant spider. Haku grabbed a lever near the gate as Kakashi prepared the fireball jutsu, unleashing it as Haku opened the gate. Both the spider and the shinobi were engulfed in flame, and were still. At the end of the cavern was a metal door. The five shinobi pulled out kunai, and slowly opened the door.

The door led to a chamber that opened out into a balcony. As the shinobi crept forward, they could hear a conversation.

"I'll never tell you anything! My oath is stronger than any suffering you can inflict on me!"

"Oh, I believe you."

They heard a slash and gasp.

"Are you sure that was wise, Lokil? He still might of told us something."

The shinobi moved to the edge of the balcony. Below, they saw two enemy shinobi standing over the body of a monk. Behind them was a bridge, leading to a large circular area.

"He knew nothing. He served his purpose by leading us to this place. Now it is up to us to bring Lord Harkon the prize...what's this?"

Lokil jumped back as the other shinobi was caught by a shadow and engulfed in flames. The five shinobi leaped forward.

"Konoha shinobi? You will regret interfering with us."

Lokil raised his hand, an a ball of blue energy appeared. The shinobi prepared to dodge, but instead he threw it at the dead monk. The monk began rising, surrounded by blue energy.

"Kill them all!"

The monk charged at the shinobi, kunai in hand. Kakashi moved to counter, blocking its kunai with one of his own. As he did, Naruto charged at Lokil, leaping to punch him. Lokil ducked and kicked Naruto as he passed by, sending him flying into the center of the circular area. Naruto crashed into the ground, which cracked. As he tried to stand the floor fell under him.

"WAAAAAAAAH!"

"NARUTO! You will pay for that!"

Haku attacked Lokil with a senbon, who blocked it with a kunai. Haku, however, did some handsigns with her free hand. Water from either side of the bridge rose around Lokil, forming into ice needles.

"Sensatsu Suishō! (A Thousand Needles of Death)"

The needles shot into Lokil. However, he simply began laughing. Haku jumped back, eyes narrowing.

"Hahaha, you can't hurt me with a jutsu like that!"

The monk's body shot forward, a giant hole in its back where Kiba had drilled into it.

"Oh, it seems you defeated him. No matter, I am more than powerful enough to take on a few lost shinobi."

-Down the hole-

Naruto rubbed his head as he sat up, his whole body sore from the fall.

"Ouch...oh wait the fight! I got to get back!"

Naruto prepare to jump, then realized he couldn't see the top of the hole, or any walls around the side. He looked around for any way to get back. It seemed however, he was trapped on a circular platform, with arches around the edges and a pedestal in the center. Naruto walked up to the pedestal.

"I wonder what this button does."

Naruto pressed the button.

"GAH!"

A spike shot up through the button, impaling Naruto's hand. Sudden the pedestal began glowing as Naruto's blood seeped into it. A line of purple fire shot out towards Naruto. Naruto jumped back in surprise, but slammed into a torch stand. He cover his arms, but was shocked to find the fire didn't hurt him at all as it passed through him. He turned and saw the fire head towards the torch stand he had knocked back. As it reached the torch stand, a fire appeared on top of it. Another fire shot out horizontally towards another torch stand, lighting it up. Naruto watched as the fire continued in a circle, lighting various torch stands. When the final one was lit, the entire circle began glowing purple and the ground began to shake. Naruto watched in shock as the circle sank down except for the center, different layers stopping at different heights to make a staircase leading to a stone monolith now revealed in the center. Naruto stepped towards the monolith, reached out, and touched it. A panel slid down, revealing a woman in the late teens, asleep.

Naruto caught her as she fell forward. She started to wake up and stood back up.

"Unh...where is...who sent you here?"

Naruto was caught off guard by the question.

"Oh, um...the Hokage, where you expecting someone?"

The woman looked puzzled.

"Hokage? Well, I expecting someone like me at least."

Naruto rubbed his head, confused.

"What do you mean, like you?"

The woman folded her arms and gave Naruto a curious look.

"Can't you tell just by looking at me?"

Naruto's blank look told the woman no.

"Well...I guess it's not important then..."

Naruto stared blankly, utterly confused at this point.

"So...uh...why were you locked in here?"

The woman looked deep in thought.

"That's...complicated. And I'm not sure I can totally trust you. But if you want to know the whole story, help me get back to my family's home."

Naruto scratched his head again.

"Ok...where's that?"

The woman nodded.

"My family used to live on an island off the coast near here. I would guess they still do. By the way, my name is Serana, nice to meet you."

Naruto nodded.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you, dattebayo! So...uh...any idea how to get out of here?"

Serana shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine. This place looks pretty different from when I was locked away."

As she spoke, there was a rumbling and a bridge lifted up and connected to the circle. Naruto and Serana started walking towards it.

"So, how long have you been locked in there?"

Serana looked up, wondering.

"Good question. Hard to say. I...I can't really tell. I feel like it was a long time. Who is Skyrim's High King?"

Naruto gave her a blank stare.

"Skyrim? Where's that?"

Serana's eyes widened slightly.

"What do you mean? We're in Skyrim now, aren't we?"

Naruto's confused face didn't change.

"Uh, we're in Hi no Kuni. Never heard of Skyrim."

Clearly forgetting that he had.

Serana's eyes widened even more.

"I must've been gone longer than I thought. Definitely longer than we planned. Please let's hurry so I can figure out what's happened."

As they spoke they neared the end of the bridge. Suddenly a gargoyle roared to life in front of them. Naruto jumped in front of Serana.

"What's going on? Get back!"

The gargoyle roared and charged towards the pair. Naruto let out a yell and charged towards it. Serana's eyes widened again.

_This boy...is going to fight a gargoyle unarmed! He's going to get himself killed!_

Serana ran forward to intervene, but it was too late. Naruto jumped and punched the gargoyle in the face. To Serana's astonishment, the gargoyle stumbled back from the punch. Naruto leaped and kicked the gargoyle in the jaw, and it fell to the floor with a thud.

"Whew, are you ok?"

Serana was staring wide-eyed at Naruto.

"You...you're really strong."

Naruto smiled at the unexpected praise.

"Of course! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to be the next Hokage, dattebayo!"

"Right...we should keep moving."

The pair passed through a chamber and came to a large cavern, containing a stadium. At the far end of the stadium was a throne, with an armored corpse sitting on it. Suddenly the corpse began rising, as did several other corpses and skeletons around the arena. Naruto made his signature hand sign.

"I'll take of this! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Several Narutos shot through the arena, shattering skeletons and slashing with kunai at the corpses. Naruto himself charged at the armored skeleton.

"**FUS...ROH DAH!"**

This time, Naruto knew what to expect and leaped over the energy blast to land behind the skeleton, slitting its throat with his kunai. He leaped back to Serana, who was wided-eyed again.

"How...How did you do all that?"

Naruto gave her an inquisitive look.

"Do what?"

"Make all those clones of yourself, and move that quickly. I can't think of a spell that can do that."

Naruto rubbed his head, confused.

"Oh, that's my Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, and well I channeled some chakra to my feet to help me move faster."

Serana's eyes widened a bit more.

"Jutsu? Chakra? This is bad...we need to hurry. Let's look for an exit."

The two spread out across the cavern. While they were searching, Naruto came across a word wall.

"All right! New jutsu, dattebayo!"

Naruto run forward and began scanning the wall. He wasn't disappointed as a word began to glow.

"Gaan? Ok, guess I need to find another dragon, dattebayo!"

"Naruto, I think I found the exit."

Naruto leaped over to Serana, who was standing by a gate. She pulled a lever, opening the gate. The gate led to a staircase.

The two walked to the top of staircase.

"Naruto!"

Naruto and Serana turned to see Naruto's companions rushing down a hallway towards him. Haku looked concerned.

"Are you all right?"

Naruto gave a thumbs up.

"Yep! Found a new word, too! Wait, what happened to that shinobi?"

Kakashi smiled.

"He was overconfident and got caught in Shikamaru's jutsu. So, Naruto, who is your friend?"

Naruto looked surprised, totally having forgotten.

"Oh right! Everyone, this is Serana. Serana, this is Kakashi-sensei, Haku, Shikamaru, and Kiba."

"It's nice to meet you."

Shikamaru rubbed the back of his head.

"Troublesome...he disappears once and comes back with some girl. So, Naruto, where did you find her?"

Naruto pointed down the staircase.

"She was locked away in the place I fell. She says she lives near here though, so let's help her get back, dattebayo!"

Kakashi turned to Serana, serious look in his eyes.

"Is that so? So, Serana, why were you locked in here?

Serana shifted uncomfortably.

"That's...complicated. I'm not sure I can fully trust you yet. But if you want to know the story, help me get home."

The four shinobi huddled.

"So team, what do you think?"

Kiba shrugged.

"Naruto seems to trust her."

Haku shook her head.

"As he did me..."

Kakashi turned his head.

"Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru looked deep in thought.

"On the one hand, it's pretty risky. But the only other option is to detain and torture someone we just met and know nothing about."

Shikamaru sighed.

"It's troublesome, but I guess we have no other choice if we want to figure out what's happening here."

Kakashi nodded and the four turned back to Naruto and Serana.

"Well, seems Naruto has already agreed to help you, so we will too."

When the six stepped out of the cave, the sun had already set.

"Well, looks like it's nighttime already. We'll head out in the morning."

Serana shook her head.

"Sorry, but I'd like to get home as soon as possible, please."

Kakashi looked a little suspicious at first but acquiesced.

"Very well, do you know how to use chakra?"

Serana shook her head.

"All right, Naruto carry her."

Naruto looked shocked.

"Wait why me?"

Shikamaru walked up to him.

"Because you have the most stamina. Anyone else would get tired too quickly. Besides, you found her."

Naruto accepted this and walked over to Serana. Serana looked uncomfortable, but recalling how fast Naruto had moved in the cave, climbed on Naruto's back.

"It's that way."

With that, the shinobi leaped off into the forest.

-An island off the coast-

Haku steered a small boat through the foggy sea, Kakashi and Shikamaru in the middle while Naruto, Kiba, and Serana sat in front.

_The climate is getting colder...we must be nearing Mizu no Kuni_.

"Here it is."

Serana pointed and out of the fog an island appeared. On the island was a tower, and a bridge leading to a massive castle.

"Whoa."

Shikamaru sighed.

"I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

Kakashi nodded.

"Stay on guard."

Haku landed the boat and the six leaped out. As they walked towards the bridge, Serana turned.

"Hey, before we go in there..."

Kakashi turned his head.

"What is it?"

Serana shifted.

"My family is not the most...welcoming to outsiders. When we get in, just let me take the lead ok?"

Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Haku exchanged uncomfortable looks. The six continued to approach the castle. A guard stood up and peered out of the barred gate. He gasped.

"Lady Serana? Open the gates! Lady Serana has returned!"

The gates opened and the six stepped inside. A dark-skinned figure approached them.

"How dare you trespass here...wait, Serana!? Is that truly you?!"

The figure turned and ran through the entrance hall to the main chamber. The six could hear him shout.

"Everyone! Serana has returned!"

Serana turned to her companions.

"I guess I'm expected."

The six made their way into the central chamber. There were two long tables, surrounded by people...who were eating other people and covered in blood. The five shinobi covered their mouths at the sight. Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

_One of those bodies has a Kiri headband...whoever they are they are clearly dangerous._

A man in armor and a cape stood in between the two tables.

"So my long lost daughter has finally returned. I trust you have my Elder Scroll?"

Serana looked hurt as she walked towards him.

"After all this time that's the first thing you say to me? Yes, I have your Elder Scroll."

The man looked irritated.

"Of course I'm delighted to see you. Must I say the words aloud? Ah, if only your traitor mother were here. I would let her watch this reunion before putting her head on a spike. Now tell me, who are these strangers you have brought into our hall?"

Serana and the man turned towards the very nervous and tense shinobi.

"These are my rescuers."

The five shinobi stepped forward and introduced themselves.

"Ah Hatake Kakashi. I believe you have some fame among the herd? I am Harkon, lord of this court. By now you must know what we are?"

Naruto made a disgusted face.

"Gross cannibals, dattebayo."

Harkon looked amused.

"Not quite, though I see how an outsider would come to that conclusion. We are vampires, one of the oldest and most powerful clans."

The shinobi's eyes widened. It seemed ridiculous, but then again so were dragons. Kiba looked around nervously.

"So...what now?"

Harkon eyed the five.

"Now, you must be rewarded for returning my daughter to me. There is but one gift that can match this service. I offer you my blood, to be lions among men and masters of the night."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed.

"And if we refuse?"

Harkon's eyes also narrowed.

"Then you are prey, like all mortals. I will spare your lives this once, but you will be banished from this court. Perhaps you still need convincing, behold the power!"

Harkon hunched forward, black spots appearing over him and covering him. The black substance seemed to explode away, revealing a monster where Harkon once stood. It was humanoid, but with black eyes, huge fangs, thin, leathery wings, massive claws, and blue-gray skin. The shinobi took a step back. Kakashi reached for his headband.

_His chakra grew so much I could feel it. It is very powerful, and feels evil. If he chooses to attack us, I don't know if we can stop him._

"This is the power that I offer. Now, make your choice!"

Naruto crossed his arms, then pointed angrily at Harkon.

"Like heck! We don't want to be vampires, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru clenched his teeth.

_I understand the sentiment, Naruto, but this guy is strong! You should at least have tried to be more diplomatic about it._

Harkon frowned.

"So be it."

He flew in the air and held up his hand, gathering a ball of purple energy.

"I banish you!"

Before any of the shinobi could respond they were surrounded by purple energy.

-Later, shore of the island-

To their incredible surprise, the shinobi woke up, unharmed, outside the castle and by their boat. They exchanged some looks.

"So what now?"

Shikamaru frowned.

"This is bad, but our mission was only to investigate and we've accomplished that."

Kiba (and Naruto) jumped up angrily.

"We can't just walk away! We can't just let those vampires walk around!"

Kakashi shook his head.

"I agree, but Shikamaru's right. We've fulfilled our mission, and right now we don't have the strength to fight them."

Naruto pointed at Kakashi.

"Oh come on, Kakashi-sensei! You have the Sharingan and Haku has her kekkei genkai! We can totally take them, dattebayo!"

Kakashi turned to Naruto, a serious look in his eye that made Naruto pause.

"Actually, Naruto, we can't. I hate to say it, but that Lord Harkon was stronger than me. If we tried anything now, we would all surely die. And the Hokage needs to know about this immediately. Let's head back to Konoha as soon as we can."

-Hokage's Office-

Sandaime rubbed his temples as he processed Kakashi's mission report.

"So not just dragons, but vampires exist, live on an island between us and Kiri, are capable of using chakra and reanimating the dead, and are active within Hi no Kuni?"

Kakashi nodded. Sandaime sighed.

"I dread the next time I send you and Naruto out on a mission. Next he'll discover Uchiha Madara's come back to life. Well good work getting everyone back home safely, Kakashi. You'll have some time off from missions, since we need to hear everyone's mission reports and rearrange the next teams. I hear you and the other jōnin have been trading genin for specialized training?"

Kakashi twitched a little at the thought of how much work approached but managed to smile and nod. Sandaime nodded back.

"Very good, I'm impressed at your initiative in starting this, Kakashi. While not the traditional method, your genin have shown great improvement thanks to it. I think you should continue, perhaps we will make this standard procedure in the future, you are dismissed."

As Kakashi left the room, Sandaime stood up and looked out the window.

_A bijū attack, Orochimaru, dragons, and now vampires? I'm getting too old for this job._


	6. Kruziik Vonum Mindah

Author's Note: As you may have guessed from the name, this is the "lore harmonization" chapter, and a primary incentive in introducing Serana this early. Besides the fact that Serana is cool….and also needs time to learn ninjutsu if she's going to be a relevant character. Not sure how far I'm going down the Dawnguard storyline before we get back to dragons. Naruto geography and geopolitics means Naruto can't just waltz over to the throat of the world (after all, the two mountainous countries are Konoha's enemies at the moment), in addition the dragons need time to plan how to counter shinobi, so it makes sense to take a break from them. And hey, that's how it works in Skyrim too, or at least how my games end up going haha. Could you wait a bit Alduin, I need to level up my smithing so I can have daedric armor. Without the invasion, the Naruto world is a bit quiet too. All of pre-time skip has changed, so figuring out how important plot points that are no longer automatically happening should develop, or if they even should develop.

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><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

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><p>-Chapter 6: Kruziik Vonum Mindah (Ancient Common Knowledge)-<p>

-Naruto's apartment, Konoha-

Naruto happily slurped up the last of his cup noodle. Nothing like ramen after a horribly grinding workout! And just in the nick of time as he heard a knock on his door.

"Yo."

Kakashi was leaning next to the door.

"Kakashi-sensei! Is it time for another mission?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Not quite, some of the teams haven't returned yet."

Kakashi chuckled as Naruto pouted. Only Naruto would be sad at the lack of work.

"Now now, how about some training?"

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"All right! Are you going to teach me some awesome jutsu, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Not quite. I'll be a bit busy myself. But don't worry, I've arranged for a tutor."

Naruto pouted more, then pointed angrily at Kakashi.

"You're planning to train Sasuke! Aren't you?!"

Kakashi waved his hands defensively.

"No no, in fact, we jōnin have…uh…agreed upon a joint training rotation. Like how you've been training with Gai! I have to train some of the other genin in return. But don't worry, Naruto, I've found a teacher who's much more reliable than me."

Kakashi waved and someone walked down the hall, stepping into the doorway.

"It's me!"

Naruto pointed in shock and anger.

"You're…THE CLOSET PERVERT!"

Kakashi deadpanned as Ebisu stepped forward.

"You two know each other? Ebisu-sensei's…a closet pervert?"

-Konoha Hotsprings, an awkward hour later-

Naruto looked confused. First some random lecture about chakra that he didn't understand, and now hotsprings?

"Why'd we come to a place like this?! We gonna take a bath before we start training?"

Ebisu adjusted his glasses.

"No! We will be training at the hot springs! Here we are!"

Ebisu brought Naruto to an area right outside, where the hotspring water flowed underneath a small bridge. Naruto was still confused.

"We're going to train here? What are we going to do?"

Ebisu continued adjusting his glasses.

"Hehe…walk! On water!"

Naruto gasped in shock. Ebisu explained how water walking was similar and different from tree-climbing, then showed Naruto by stepping on the water. Naruto smiled and made a handsign.

"All right! I'm going to try it too! First gather it to your feet! Then expel a set amount, right?"

Naruto stepped out onto the water…and immediately fell in.

"OUCH!"

Naruto shot out of the water.

"I forgot to tell you, but this bath water is 140°F (60°C). If you continue to fail, you'll become a boiled egg!"

Ebisu watched as Naruto tried over and over, never giving up despite being drenched in scalding hot water. Soon Naruto was able to perform it such that only his legs fell in up to the knee, the rest of the body staying above water. Suddenly Naruto pointed. Ebisu turned and saw a man peeking on the woman's bathing area.

"I don't know who you are but….I will not forgive such shameless behavior!"

Ebisu charged at the man, who immediately summoned a toad that knocked Ebisu out with its tongue.

"Man, keep it quiet…whacha gonna do if I get caught?!"

Naruto rushed towards him.

"Jiraiya-sama?! What are you doing here?!"

He pulled out a book.

"Researching for my new book!"

Naruto pointed.

"That's the nasty book Kakashi-sensei always reads! Anyway, you knocked out my teacher! Now how am I supposed to train?"

Jiraiya smiled.

_This is going to bring back memories._

"I know, how about I train you?"

Naruto's eyes went wide, then he jumped with joy.

"All right! I'm getting trained by Yondaime's sensei, dattebayo!"

JIraiya smiled and waved Naruto back towards the water.

"That's right! Now, continue what you were doing."

Jiraiya smiled as Naruto quickly got the hang of the water walking.

_It's about time…he's taught to control the Kyūbi's chakra._

-Sunagakure-

Baki and his team walked back towards the village in silence, pondering the recent events. He looked back at Temari and Kankuro, both looking down at their feet.

_Hm, it seems even though they hated and feared Gaara, they still felt some familial bond to him. It's strange that Konoha let us go though, even to use us as a messenger._

As Baki neared the village, he was greeted by several jōnin and village councilmembers. His eyes narrowed.

_This is too official of a welcoming party, something must be wrong._

"Baki! You've returned! Come quickly, we have much to discuss."

Baki nodded and pulled out a scroll.

"Indeed. I have Konoha's demands. Where is the Kazekage?"

Everyone looked down. One of the councilmembers stepped forward.

"Baki, Yondaime Kazekage is dead."

Baki clenched his teeth and widened his eyes as his teammates gasped.

"What?"

The councilman nodded sadly.

"Come, we can discuss Konoha's demands and choose a new Kazekage in the meeting."

Baki clenched his fist.

_Only one shinobi could have done this. Orochimaru, you will pay!_

Baki took his seat at a round table, watching the other councilmembers. They all looked grim, but somewhat relieved when Baki entered the room.

"Good, we feared you'd ever return, Baki."

Baki nodded.

"I feared so myself. One small mercy from Konoha."

The councilmembers exchanged glances and nodded at each other. All the councilmembers stood.

"Or one large one. Baki, as a senior member of the council who is in charge of Sunagakure's military affairs and still an elite jōnin, we have decided you are the best choice for temporary Kazekage. Should you accept, you will have command over Sunagakure until our situation improves and you find a worthy successor."

Baki closed his eyes for a moment.

_I expected as much. I can't say I'm excited for the job._

Baki stood up and bowed.

"I accept. I use all of my strength to ensure Sungakure's survival."

With that, Baki and all the councilmembers took their seats.

"Now, let's see the price we must pay for being played by Orochimaru."

Baki took out the scroll from Konoha. A sealing expert came and removed the seals over it, and opened it in front of Baki. Baki's eyes widened.

"Konoha has decided the loss of a jinchūriki is sufficient cost for our intended betrayal, given that Konoha took no damage from the plot. In addition, they want to share income for all missions performed in our respective nations by the others' shinobi, expand coordination on missions, and begin an exchange program between our academies' instructors."

Everyone gasped and looked deep in thought. One of the councilwomen spoke up.

"This…this is too good to be true."

The others looked around.

"Is it a trick? Are they planning to attack us in the field?"

Baki shook his head.

"This, may be hard to believe. But if sincere, this would save Sunagakure and secure its future as a powerful ally of Konoha."

The other councilmembers looked worried.

"That may be true, but can we trust this offer?"

Baki looked once more at the letter.

"I believe we can. Sandaime Hokage is shrewd. It's possible he decided the benefits of keeping our friendship outweigh the cost of war. In any case, what other choice do we have? If we reject this offer, the next will not be so generous."

-Training Field in Konoha-

Kakashi strolled into the field, reading his book. Kiba stood up and pointed at him.

"You're late!"

Kakashi chuckled.

"Well that's familiar. Hello, Kiba, ready to start training?"

He crossed his arms.

"I was ready to start…four hours ago! Where on earth were you?"

Kakashi smiled.

"I just got lost on the path of life. Anyways Kiba, can you pick up this scent?"

Kakashi tossed Kiba a hankerchief. Kiba and Akamaru sniffed it, then sniffed the air. Akamaru let out a bark.

"It's faint but I can."

Kakashi nodded as he cut his finger.

"Good. Kuchiyose no jutsu! (Summoning Jutsu)!"

Kakashi's ninja dogs appeared. Kakashi smiled again.

"Let's have a little race, shall we?"

-Konoha Dungeons, a few days later-

Sandaime frowned at the Konoha citizen chained in front of him. Once he was made aware of vampires' existence, it was not long before he found one right in Konoha itself. However, if they were able to remain undetected this long, who else might already be infected? On top of that, this vampire chose not to use chakra to hide more easily, yet he still gave the ANBU trouble, which gave Sandaime chills as to what a vampire jōnin could do.

"Hm, you shinobi are so arrogant. 'Look beneath the underneath,' ha. We've been underneath since your founding, and you've never found us. You think catching me changes anything? All mortals are like grass, and all their glory like the flower of grass. Grass withers, and the flower falls. But we are eternal!"

Sandaime sighed. This one was clearly not going to cooperate. Sandaime turned to Ibiki and nodded, and began to walk out of the room as Ibiki moved to do his work. As Sandaime left the dungeon, he found a chūnin kneeling in front of him.

"Hokage-sama!"

Sandaime let a puff of smoke out of his pipe.

"Yes?"

The chūnin looked up.

"There's some unknown woman at the gates, requesting entry!"

Sandaime tilted his head.

"Is she a shinobi?"

The chūnin continued.

"No sir!"

Sandaime let out another puff of smoke.

"And? I believe we normally give civilians free entry into Konoha."

The chūnin looked worried.

"But, Hokage-sama, she says she's looking for Naruto specifically!"

The Hokage frowned.

"Send her to my office. And call for Naruto, he should be out training at this location."

-Hokage's Office-

Naruto and Jiraiya walked towards the office. They had been training Naruto's new Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu) in a location Jiraiya thought no one would interrupt; Sandaime must think this is urgent. Naruto opened the door and stepped in.

"Yo Jiji…SERANA?"

Naruto almost fell over. There, standing in front of Sandaime and next to the team from his last mission, now wearing a hooded cloak, was Serana.

"You probably weren't expecting to see me again."

Naruto shook his head vigorously.

"No! What are you doing here?!"

Serana looked uncomfortable.

"I needed to talk to you. It's…well, it's about me, and about the Elder Scroll that was buried with me."

Now everyone in the room looked confused.

"Uh, what's an Elder Scroll?"

Serana eye's widened a little.

"Oh right, I forgot they've passed out of common knowledge. This is an Elder Scroll."

Serana pulled the scroll off her back.

"They are ancient objects of incredible power. Some say they existed before the world, before time itself. None one really knows what they are or what they can do, but in my time they were used for prophecy."

Shikamaru yawned.

"Troublesome, so what does it say?"

Serana put the scroll on the Hokage's desk.

"I'm not sure."

Everyone looked surprise.

"You can't read it?"

Serana shook her head.

"Elder Scrolls are extremely dangerous. During my time the only people who could read Elder Scrolls were specially trained Moth Priests. Anyone else who tried ended up blind, or worse."

Everyone looked deep in thought for a moment, or as deep as Naruto can appear.

"So, why were you locked there with it?"

Serana took a breath.

"It all comes back to my father. I'm guessing you figured this part out already, but my father's not exactly a good person, even by vampire standards. He wasn't always like that, though. There was…a turn. He stumbled onto this obscure prophecy and just kind of lost himself in it."

Kakashi rubbed his chin.

"What sort of prophecy?"

Serana folded her arms and motioned with one hand.

"It's pointless and vague, like all prophecies. The part he latched onto said that vampires would no longer need to fear the sun. That's what he's after. He wants to control the sun, have vampires control the world. And he thinks this Elder Scroll is involved somehow. Anyway, my mother and I didn't feel like inviting a war with all of Tam…the world, so we tried to stop him. That's why I was sealed away with the scroll."

There was silence for a moment. Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome. Next someone will try to take over the world by controlling the moon."

Sandaime sighed.

"It's…hard to believe. But since dragons started appearing I find myself less skeptical. If what you say is true, you've taken a big risk leaving your father with that scroll."

Serana nodded.

"I did. But something about you…"

She glanced at Naruto, then at the other shinobi from that mission.

"…makes me think I can trust you."

Sandaime nodded.

"We will do whatever we can to stop your father and protect you from him. For now, you mentioned 'your time' throughout our conversation. What do you mean by that?"

Serana nodded.

"It seems I was sealed away for thousands of years. The world is completely different from when I was sealed. For example, before I was sealed chakra didn't exist yet, this continent was called Tamriel, and this country was much colder, and called Skyrim."

Sandaime and Kakashi's eyes widened and the exchanged glances.

_Skyrim? That was in Tazuna's song!_

Kakashi stepped forward.

"Serana, this is just a hunch, but do you know anything about dragons, or a dragonborn?"

Serana thought for a moment.

"During my time dragons were mostly extinct. It's said there were a few left but I never saw any. Dragonborn was a term I heard in some ancient legends. Why do you ask?"

Kakashi pointed.

"Because we were told Naruto is dragonborn."

Serana looked at Naruto.

"You're…dragonborn? They say a dragonborn was someone born with the body of a mortal but the soul of a dragon, who could defeat his foes with the power of his voice alone. I'm sorry that's not much to go on. If they still exist, you should speak to the Greybeards."

Everyone tilted their heads.

"Greybeards?"

Serana wasn't surprised this time.

"Masters of the voice. They were a group of monks whose voices sounded like thunder and could shake mountains. If I remember correctly, they lived in a temple on the tallest mountain."

The shinobi exchanged nervous glances. Shikamaru rubbed his head.

"Isn't that were Kumogakure is located? Troublesome…."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"That's common belief, but there is a taller mountain. It's located in Tsuchi no Kuni"

Kakashi and Sandaime exchanged more nervous glances.

_That's even worse…._

Sandaime sighed.

"Thank you, Serana, you've given us a lot to think about. What do you plan to do now?"

Serana looked a little nervous.

"Well, I was hoping I could join your village. I really want to get out and explore now, but my father's men know ninjutsu so it wouldn't be safe for me…"

Sandaime let out a 'hm' and looked to the team that found Serana.

"Something tells me Naruto would give you his support."

Kakashi smiled at that. Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"So what do the rest of you think?"

Shikamaru shrugged.

"She had no obligation to come here, and no guarantee we wouldn't kill her after she told us. The vampires already knew about Konoha, so it's not like they suddenly decided to attack us, and even if they did they wouldn't need her to do so. It's troublesome, but I think we can trust her."

Kakashi and Kiba nodded their agreement.

"We have just discovered vampires and are currently working to root them out. Do you have any problem with this?"

Serana shook her head.

"Vampires tend to work alone or in small clans. Since too many of us would draw attention, we tend to see each other as competition rather than allies."

Sandaime nodded.

"Then it's decided. Welcome to Konoha, Serana. As luck would have it, we have a conveniently located apartment with a vacant room that you can stay in. Now, you said you were sealed before chakra existed. Can you use chakra at all?"

Serana made a handsign.

"Hm…I won't get into the details, but yes, one of my father's men helped me. I don't really know much. I do have some other abilities that might be useful though."

Sandaime grimaced a little at the thought of how she might've gained the ability to use chakra, remembering Kakashi mentioned shinobi as some of the vampires' victims.

"Good, we'll arrange for someone to train you. Now, how often do you need to...well, need sustenance?"

Serana made a sympathetic face.

"Most vampires start becoming feral after a few days. I can go a little longer, but I wouldn't push it longer than a week. We actually don't a need a great deal to be satisfied, though, and the blood doesn't have to be fresh. I know a recipe that will preserve the blood. One bottle's worth every few days would be sufficient. I…won't need it for a few days at the moment."

Sandaime nodded, trying not to grimace.

"We will try to find a suitable arrangement. Is there anything else we should know about you?"

Serana thought for a moment.

"I'm guessing this is both to help me and to fight others? Well you may have guessed, but the sun isn't particularly good for us. I'm a stronger type of vampire so I can still function and fight in it, but even I get fatigued more easily and recover much more slowly. Weaker vampires might even start burning, though a cloak is normally enough to avoid trouble. On the other hand, I can see in the dark, and I'm faster and stronger than a normal person in it. Fire is bad for me too, but I can handle cold, poison or anything like that. You may have discovered this already, but we're resistant to normal weapons, though not immune to them. Silver hurts us even more than usual though. All vampires also can absorb life force and chakra from a short distance away, can forcibly control a living person and make them their thrall, and can reanimate corpses to fight for them. And, the longer we go without…feeding…the stronger our powers become, though we start losing our intelligence."

Sandaime nodded, writing down notes on a scroll. Shikamaru rubbed his head.

"So, can you transform like your father?"

Serana nodded.

"I can, though I prefer not to, as can my family and anyone we share our blood with. Most vampires don't have that ability though. Our vampirism is…special."

Shikamaru tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

Serana seemed hesistant.

"Most vampires are turned by contact with another. Anytime a vampire wounds you, bites you, or absorbs your life force there is a small chance of contracting a disease that progresses to vampirism, we can also consciously transfer it. My family was different. We acquired our vampirism through a…ritual. It was not pleasant, but we emerged as pure-blooded vampires."

Sandaime nodded once more and wrapped up his scroll.

"Thank you, Serana. I'm sure you'd like to get home and, uh, into the shade as quickly as you can. Naruto, why don't you show her home before you return to your training? I was referring to your building as the place she can stay, by the way."

Sandaime dismissed them and the genin, leaving Kakashi and Jiraiya in the room.

"This…is a lot to take in."

Sandaime nodded.

"Indeed. Thankfully it seems this vampire's plan can't advance without Serana's Elder Scroll, but they'll be sure to target Konoha once they discover it's here."

Jiraiya nodded, anticipating Sandaime's idea, and grabbed the Elder Scroll off the Hokage's desk.

"I'll take it with me, and make sure to let people see me leaving with it. It's safest with me, anyways."

Kakashi nodded.

"It's a good thing we have Serana. She's given us a good idea of their behavior and capabilities."

Sandaime nodded.

"Yes, the vampire situation is very serious and concerning, but thanks to Serana we can deal with it more easily than the dragon situation. Speaking of which, so you know this mountain, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Yea, I've heard there is a temple up there, so these Greybeards might still exist. It won't be easy taking Naruto through Tsuchi no Kuni though."

Sandaime nodded.

"Indeed. Yondaime is hated there even more than he is loved here. And Naruto's never been one to keep a low profile."

Jiraiya nodded.

"I'll try to see if I can't contact the temple on my own. Well, I better catch up before he misses me!"

Jiraiya winked at Kakashi and jumped out the window. Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"You better go too, Kakashi. Weren't you planning to train one of Gai's genin today?"

Kakashi sighed, and walked out the door.

-Training Field, Konoha-

Tenten tapped her foot, irritated. Say what you will about Gai-sensei, but he was never late.

"Yo!"

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smiled. This one was polite enough to hide her irritation. So unlike his own team.

"So, Tenten, Gai tells me you're the weapon expert."

Tenten nodded.

"I can throw any weapon accurately; I've never missed a target."

Kakashi smiled.

"Good, but…"

Kakashi unveiled his Sharingan.

"The Sharingan not only never misses a target, it can hit a target that can't be reached."

Kakashi pointed towards a large boulder. There was a target on the ground on the other side of it. Kakashi walked to the side of the boulder opposite the target, and threw a kunai in the air. He quickly threw a second one after it, which hit the back of the first one and redirected it downwards, hitting the target. Tenten gasped.

"This is the Uchiha Shuriken Jutsu normally possible only with a Sharingan. However, your accuracy and adaptability with weapons makes me believe you may be able to learn a few of these. If so you will not only never miss your opponent, but will be able to hit him in his blind spot from any angle. We'll need to train your eye to be sharper than any other, however. So, shall we begin?"

-Castle Volkihar-

Harkon stood by a fireplace, watching the fire with his red eyes and sipping blood from his chalice.

_At long last, after millennium of waiting, the world will be ours._

One of his subordinates, Garan Marethi, approached him.

"Lord Harkon, it seems Serana has vanished again, as has the Elder Scroll."

Harkon's eyes narrowed.

_It seems there is a little longer to wait._

"Her mother has poisoned her against me. When she returned I had hoped she had seen the truth. I trust you have an idea of where she went?"

Garan nodded.

"As it was Konoha shinobi who rescued her, I suspect she would seek refuge in Konoha."

Harkon looked back at the fire.

"Let us send them a warning, teach them the folly of opposing us. Mortals are so very attached to their short lives, Serana's comrades will surely abandon her if we push them."

-Somewhere in Hi no Kuni-

Asuma stopped his team, consisting of Sasuke, Shino, and Ino with support from Hana Inuzuka. They had completed their mission successfully; there was no reason to rush. They would probably be the last team to return, but their mission had been very far away.

"Let's stop here for the night. Sasuke, get a fire going. Shino, use your bugs to scout the perimeter. Ino, start setting up tents."

Asuma walked over the Hana, who was petting her dogs.

"Something wrong?"

Hana looked at her dogs, one of which was growling.

"I'm not sure. It smells like…death, but not something dead. Sorry it's probably nothing but my dogs seem on edge."

Suddenly Hana paused.

"Wait a minute...I smell blood!"

Shino jumped through the bushes, bleeding from some small cuts. Two shinobi leaped out of the forest after him. Hana and Asuma leaped into action. Asuma kicked the shinobi away as Hana grabbed Shino. He made some handsigns and took a breath.

"Katon: Haisekishō! (Fire Style: Burning Ash)"

The shinobi screamed in pain as they were surrounded by burning ash. Asuma ignited the ash, and the shinobi vanished in the explosion.

Just then they heard Ino scream. They turned around to see a shinobi slash Ino's cheek with a kunai. Sasuke jumped in front and kicked him away before he could do any more damage, but another one leaped out of the shadows and slashed at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked with his arm, gritting as blood dripped from the cut on it. Two of Hana's dogs charged at the shinobi. He tried to turn to meet them but Sasuke grabbed him, trapping him long enough for the dogs to leap on him and tear out his throat. The other shinobi charged back towards them but this time Sasuke was ready.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)"

The shinobi screamed as he was engulfed in flames.

* * *

><p>Asuma kept watch outside the tent while Hana tended to the wounds of the genin. He turned as Hana stepped out of the tent.<p>

"They're fine. The cuts weren't very deep. I was suspicious at first, but there doesn't seem to be any poison."

Asuma nodded.

"We'll let them rest until dawn, then head out first thing. I want to get back to Konoha as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>As the sun rose and flooded into the tent as Asuma pulled back the flap.<p>

"Rise and shine everyone! Time to go home.

Ino sat up yawning, then immediately shielded her eyes.

"Ah, why is the sun so bright?"

Asuma chuckled. Looks like Ino was back to normal.

Or was she?

-Hokage's Office-

"Hokage-sama, it's Asuma!"

Sandaime looked up from his paperwork as Asuma burst into the room.

"Dad, come quick!"

Sandaime stood up. If Asuma was like this, something must be very wrong.

"What's the matter?"

Asuma motioned towards the door.

"It's the genin! I'll explain on the way."

-Konoha Hospital-

Sandaime and Asuma walked into the room. Sasuke, Ino, and Shino were lying in bed, sweating with rags on their heads.

"What are the symptoms?"

A nurse turned to the Hokage.

"Fever, feels like they're burning up. Fatigue, reduced chakra. Unquenchable thirst. Sensitivity to light."

Sandaime looked thoughtful.

"Any idea?"

The nurse shook her head.

"We haven't seen anything like this before."

Asuma looked extremely worried.

"It progressed extremely quickly. The first day after the attack, they complained the sun was bright. Each day the symptoms grew substantially worse."

Sandaime thought about the symptoms, and the circumstances of the attack.

"Asuma, did any of the attackers appear to have fangs that you remember?"

Asuma tilted his head.

"Well, now that you mention it yea I think they did. Why?"

Sandaime turned to one of his ANBU.

"Get Serana, quick!"

* * *

><p>Serana, hooded, walked into the room. Asuma looked at her questioningly as she looked over the three genin.<p>

"This is bad, how long ago did this start?"

Sandaime turned to Asuma.

"Um, about three days ago."

Serana looked sad and shook her head.

"Then it's already too late. They've already turned. They'll wake up tonight and it won't be noticeable at first. In a few days though…"

Asuma turned to Sandaime, extremely worried.

"Dad, what is she talking about?"

Sandaime sighed, and asked the nurses to leave the room.

"Son, you've heard tales of vampires, correct?"

Asuma looked confused.

"Well yea but what does that have to do with…"

Asuma thought about the genin's symptoms, the attackers, Sandaime's questions, and looked over and saw Serana's hood and eyes.

"So you're saying she is…and they are…."

Sandaime nodded, and turned to Serana as Asuma tried to wrap his head around what he had just been told.

"Is there any way to help them?"

Serana thought for a moment.

"There's no way to stop them from becoming vampires at this point. I have heard there are ways to cure vampirism, but I don't know them myself."

Sandaime let out a 'hm' as he watched the genin…

-That night-

Sasuke opened his eyes.

_What's this?_

Sasuke sat up and looked at his hands.

_Whatever it was, it seems to have passed._

Sasuke turned and looked out of the window at the moon.

_Not just that, I feel….stronger somehow. As if I could hunt him down and slay him in this night!_

"The night is beautiful, yes?"

Sasuke turned and saw Shino, already awake.

"I never noticed it before, strange."

Ino awoke with a yawn and stretched.

"Wow I'm really thirsty, does anyone have something to drink?"

"Good you're all awake."

The three looked up, surprised, as Sandaime, Asuma, and some girl they didn't recognize walked into the room.

"Asuma-sensei? What's going on? Why is Hokage-sama here? Who is that girl?"

Asuma sighed.

"Ino…we have something very important to tell you…"

* * *

><p>"WHAAAAAAT?!"<p>

Ino screamed and tears flowed down her face as Sandaime finished explaining what had happened and introducing who Serana is.

"Noooo! Nonononononono! I can't be an icky vampire, I just…can't!"

Sasuke was frozen, staring at his hands.

_They can't be serious…but then, what is this power that I feel?_

Shino just raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose, we have to drink blood then?"

Ino's sobs grew louder as she thought of drinking icky blood. Sandaime nodded, grimly.

"Yes, Serana here tells me you can go at most a few days without doing so, after which you will lose your mind and become a feral beast due to hunger. Fortunately due to her presence we are already looking into solutions for that."

Shino nodded.

"And we will have to stay out of the sun?"

Ino's sobs grew even louder as she thought of never tanning again. Serana shook her head.

"Not quite. Your strain won't die in the sun, though you'll be weakened by it. As long as you stay covered up, you should still be able to function, though you'll tire more easily."

Ino wailed at the thought of having to stay completely covered up all day. Sasuke looked at Serana with a serious look.

"So does this have any advantages?"

Serana nodded.

"During the night you are physically stronger and faster, and you'll be able to see perfectly. You'll also have access to some new abilities, such as absorbing chakra. You're also resistant to normal weapons, and immune to cold, poison, and disease, though you're more vulnerable to fire."

Sasuke clenched his fist and thought over that. Sandaime sighed.

"I know this will be hard for all of you. We'll do our best to find a cure. Until then, feel free to talk to Serana if you have any problems. And if you feel hungry…"

Sandaime allowed a flash of killing intent which paralyzed the genin with fright.

"Come to me immediately. Under no circumstances are you to either fulfill your hunger on your own, or try to resist it in silence. Am I clear?"

The genin nodded as well as they could. Sandaime let go of the intent and turned towards the door.

"I'm very sorry to all of you. We will do our best to make this as painless as possible."

-Konoha Council-

Sandaime rubbed his temples yet again as he called another council meeting.

"Thank you all for coming. It seems we have another problem."

Koharu raised her eyebrows.

"Another issue you forgot to tell us about, Hokage-sama?

Sandaime sighed.

"This one is recent, but serious enough that I want everyone to know. It seems vampires are real too."

A few people scoffed while everyone else gasped.

"May I remind you that a dragon flew into the Forest of Death and killed a bijū?"

Everyone was silent after that.

"I have already detained one in Konoha, but it is unclear if there are more and how many there are. We have recently accepted a resident vampire ally who has agreed to help us root out the others."

Homura stood up at this.

"Hokage-sama, if this is all true, you can't seriously trust one of them?"

Sandaime just gave Homura a stare and he sat down.

"I am aware of the risks. This vampire was not in Konoha, but was sealed away and found by Naruto. She sought us out on her own initiative and has provided us with all the intel we have on these vampires, and so far her word has held true. She has alerted us to a powerful clan of vampires with a more ambitious plan as well."

The council exchanged nervous glances. Sandaime continued.

"In addition, one of the genin teams being evaluated for chūnin was attacked on the way back from their mission. They defeated their opponents, but the three genin were infected and have turned into vampires."

Sandaime put in the earplugs he had prepared as the room went into an uproar.

"We should kill them now! Just to be safe."

Sandaime silenced the room with a blast of killing intent (and removed the earplugs).

"I should also add the three genin in question are all clan heirs. There will be no such talk, or interference with them, am I clear?"

Everyone in the room gulped, suddenly aware of the power of the Hokage.

"They will be monitored to avoid incidents until they have proven their self-control. As we already had accepted a resident vampire, I was already looking into ways of…supporting a vampire while avoiding obvious issues and the Konoha hospital and I have come up with a solution. Furthermore, our resident vampire has provided us with a cure for the disease that is effective up so long as the victim has not fully turned, roughly a three day process. Genin missions outside the village shall be halted until the cure has been mass produced and can be issued as standard. I believe chūnin and above should be capable enough to minimize contractions. I will also begin researching a way to cure the three genin who have already turned, and we will provide countermeasures as needed to our teams. I ask that no one outside this room is told until I approve it. We are planning to rid Konoha of vampires and until we are certain who they are we cannot risk a leak. You are dismissed."

Sandaime walked out of the room and up to a small room, where Serana watched several video cameras of the council room.

"Well, Serana?"

Serana pointed to one of the jōnin, a newer, more obscure one at that.

"He's the only one, the rest are fine."

Sandaime motioned to his ANBU, who vanished, and breathed a sigh of relief.

_None of the council members or clan heads, and one of the newer jōnin. That makes this much easier._


	7. Sosnaakke do Duhill

Author's Note: Sup. Just cranking em out, you're welcome. It helps that I stopped caring if quality is perfect and go "screw it good enough" nowadays.

As to Nianque's question, plot advancement no jutsu. But yea, I'm going to explore that a bit in this chapter. I think letting her in the village is no less justified than Haku was, both instances are basically because Kakashi ok's it. As to why he's going to trust her to root out the vampires, well he's not going to immediately kill everyone she says is a vampire. He doesn't fully trust her, but since he can't identify the vampires on his own he doesn't have many other options, so he's taking it step by step and testing what she says. On top of that, he's caught in a bad position. Because Sasuke, Ino, and Shino are infected, he can't hide the issue from the council. But he also doesn't know if the council is safe. Serana represents the only way to test the councilmembers quickly enough to respond. So he either has to trust Serana's word, or trust that all the councilmembers and jōnin are clean. Luckily for him, it resolves in a way that lets him test Serana's word. And if that doesn't convince you, then YOLO, that's why.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

* * *

><p>-Chapter 7: Sosnaakke do Duhill (Vampires of Leaf)-<p>

-Konoha Dungeons-

The jōnin awoke to find himself in a cell, barrier active around it. Outside stood Sandaime.

"Hokage-sama, what's going on?"

Sandaime sighed.

"I'm sorry, but a test of loyalty."

The jōnin looked confused and angry.

"What do you mean? Haven't I not proven myself loyal to the village?"

Sandaime shook his head.

"Not just of yours. You see, my vampire ally claims that you are one of them. As a loyal jōnin, you are the best test of her trustworthiness. Jōnin often disappear for weeks at a time on missions known only to the Hokage, so your absence will not raise any alarms. She also claims a vampire will become feral after a few days without blood, which matches our experience with the vampire we detained. You will remain here and be given vegetarian meals for the next week. Should you show no signs of vampirism, you will be released and compensated for an A-rank mission. As a jōnin, I trust you will understand that this is necessary for the good of the village."

The jōnin looked shocked and outraged.

"This is crazy, Hokage-sama! How could I possibly be a vampire?"

Sandaime sighed again.

"I know. But we already found one vampire hiding here who claimed vampires have been present since Konoha's founding. If they were able to remain undetected this long, I can't rule anyone out. Not even you. And I have to know if I can trust my ally, both in her willingness and her ability to find and betray her kind."

The jōnin continued protesting, but Sandaime had said all he wanted to. He turned and walked out the door, blocking out the jōnin's cries.

-Konoha Training Field, nighttime-

"HIYAH!"

Sasuke kicked the training dummy, and it fell to pieces. He vanished and slammed his fist into another, spinning and flinging kunai at two disks flying through the sky.

_This power! I can feel it flowing through me! How do you plan to match this, Naruto?_

"Not bad, you seem to have adapted to your new strength fairly well."

Serana stood by, Shino standing next to her.

"Where's Ino?"

Shino shook his head.

"She still refused to accept that she is a vampire. She tried to go out uncovered yesterday, she is recovering now."

Sasuke grunted.

"Her loss. It's inconvenient, but this power is worth it."

Serana frowned.

"I can understand trying to appreciate the benefits of being a vampire. But don't let it go to your head. That's what my father did, and it changed him. And not for the better."

Sasuke grunted.

"Whatever. Can you show us how to use our powers?"

Serana nodded.

"In addition to the extra strength and ability to see in the dark, you'll always have access to two powers. The first is vampiric drain. You can project your hunger using your spiritual energy, creating a short beam that drains your target's life force."

Serana stuck her hand out at a target. A red stream began flowing back from the target towards Serana's hand.

Shino nodded.

"How do we do it?"

Serana thought for a moment.

"It's…hard to explain. But most vampires know how to do it instinctively, so you probably already can."

Sasuke nodded.

"I think I know how…"

Sasuke put his hand forward, and envisioned his hunger, consciously trying to project it. As he did, a red stream appeared flowing back towards his hand. Serana nodded.

"Yes, like that. Remember, using it doesn't replace feeding and you have to think about your hunger to use it, so it will make your hunger harder to control. It also has a chance to pass your vampirism to the target if you don't kill them."

Shino nodded.

"And the other power?"

Serana folded her arms and motioned with one hand a she talked.

"I can't really demonstrate it now. But as vampires, we technically aren't living. Because of that, we have an instinctive knowledge of how to reanimate a dead body. It's hard to explain, but you can project your will into a corpse, and make it to serve you for a short time."

Shino pondered for a second.

"And it can use any abilities it could in life?"

Serana nodded.

"Yes, but it won't heal any damage it's taken and won't retain any of its personality or knowledge."

Shino nodded.

"Ino would probably be the best at that, given her jutsu involves transferring her consciousness and taking control of others."

Sasuke looked at Serana with a serious look.

"You mentioned once we gain more powers the longer we go without feeding."

Serana nodded.

"First you can charm people, and attract them to you. As you might have guessed, this is especially useful for feeding. If you feed on someone who you've charmed, they can become your thrall, and will be bonded to you as your servant. Though I wouldn't recommend it, I doubt the Hokage, or anyone else, will be happy. As your hunger grows you can project your body's cold, freezing those around you. It's useful when you're surrounded. Finally, as you become blood-starved, you can turn invisible. I wouldn't recommend waiting for that, because at that stage you begin losing your intelligence and reverting to instinct. In addition your strength, but also your weakness to sunlight and fire will grow with your hunger."

Sasuke nodded.

"So can vampires do anything with chakra?"

Serana frowned.

"I don't really know. I've just started using chakra myself. But we can still use it normally. And we absorb it from others when we feed. You may be able to adapt your vampiric powers through chakra."

-Konoha Training Field, Team 7 meeting place, daytime-

Naruto yawned with boredom as Team 7 gathered. Sasuke-teme was even quieter than usual, and wearing a cloak with the hood up and sunglasses now. Sakura was quiet because Sasuke refused to talk, leaving Naruto with his thoughts. A dangerous prospect.

"Yo."

"You're late!"

"Hn…"

Kakashi smiled. It had been a while since he heard this.

"Hi team, so Sasuke and I have something to tell you."

Naruto began angrily pointing at Kakashi.

"I knew it, dattebayo! You've been training Sasuke this whole time, haven't you?!"

Kakashi waved his hands defensively as Sakura hit Naruto over the head.

"Idiot! Sasuke just got back from a mission!"

Naruto rubbed the bump on his head.

"Oh yea, I forgot."

Kakashi chuckled. If only things would stay this light-hearted.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke shrugged. Kakashi sighed.

"Well team, it seems Sasuke, along with Ino and Shino, is…a vampire now."

Naruto and Sakura jumped, wide-eyed and in unison.

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

Sasuke just closed his eyes. He didn't feel like dealing with this, or doing anything in particular, right now. Sakura looked incredulous.

"Wait, surely you can't mean vampires, like in those stories to scare kids, right?"

To Sakura's horror, neither Sasuke nor Kakashi looked like they were joking.

Naruto suddenly looked very sad.

"Was it…"

Kakashi quickly shook his head.

"Oh, no, Serana wasn't involved. Sasuke's team was attacked by vampires on the way back from their mission."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Sakura looked confused.

"Wait, who's Serana?"

Kakashi rubbed his head.

"Oh, well she's a vampire Naruto found sealed in an ancient cave on our mission. She's staying in Konoha now."

Sakura dead-panned.

"You found a vampire? And we're letting it live in Konoha?"

Then she suddenly smiled as she had another thought.

"Wait, if she's a vampire maybe she knows how to fix it, and bring Sasuke back to normal!"

Kakashi looked down.

"We've already asked her. She confirmed a cure exists, but she doesn't know it herself."

Sakura looked down, tears forming in her eyes. Kakashi looked at his team sympathetically and then smiled playfully at Sasuke.

"Well, could have been worse. Just letting you know Sasuke will probably be more active at night than day now. Anyways I have to go so bye guys!"

With that, Kakashi vanished, causing Sasuke to groan as he was bombarded by loud questions and wailing from his teammates.

-Team 8 meeting place-

Kurenai sighed as her team gathered, Shino wearing a hood now, though neither of his teammates really noticed since he did it before occasionally.

"Hello team, before we discuss how our missions went, Shino has something to tell you."

Shino nodded. Kiba and Hinata looked at him curiously.

"Sasuke, Ino, and I are vampires now."

Kurenai deadpanned as Kiba and Hinata gasped.

_Blunt as ever…_

Kiba looked angry.

"After we trusted her! I'll kill her!"

Shino raised an eyebrow.

"I do not know who you are referring to, but she was probably not involved. We were attacked on the way home and I was infected then."

Hinata looked down and played with her fingers.

"Are…are you all right?"

Shino nodded.

"I tire more easily during the day, but my fighting style does not revolve around taijutsu and my kikaichū have adapted. As such, it will not significantly impact my effectiveness during the day, and will increase my effectiveness indoors and at night."

Kiba deadpanned.

"And you aren't bothered at all by the fact that, I don't know…"

Kiba turned and jumped in Shino's face.

"YOU'RE A VAMPIRE?!"

Shino shrugged.

"What's done is done. There are some inconveniences but there are also some advantages, so I cannot say it is a completely bad thing. As I cannot change the situation at the moment, logically I must embrace the advantages as I can."

Kurenai shook her head, smiling.

_That's our Shino…._

-Team 10 meeting place-

Asuma walked with Ino, tears finally starting to dry up. He had to scare her with his chakra to get her to wear a cloak and glasses. Chōji and Shikamaru were already there.

"Hey Asuma-sensei! Whoa! Ino! You look different! You're covered up and your face is all pale and stuff! Wait, why are you crying?"

Asuma sighed and cursed inside as Ino started balling again. He noticed Shikamaru staring thoughtfully at Ino.

"You seem like you've figured something out Shikamaru."

Shikamaru nodded and sighed.

"I guess we weren't the only one to encounter them…"

Chōji was happily munching on some chips, still trying to figure out why Ino was crying.

"What are you guys talking about?"

Asuma sighed.

"On our mission, we were attacked by vampires. We defeated them, but Ino, along with Sasuke and Shino, was infected and has become one of them."

Ino's crying grew louder. Chōji's eyes widened and he walked over to Ino.

"Whoa, vampires are real? And you're one now? So you can't go in the sun anymore?"

Ino wailed louder.

"And that's why you're all covered up?"

More wailing.

"And…"

Shikamaru covered his inquisitive friend's mouth.

"I'm guessing you know, Asuma-sensei?"

Asuma nodded.

"We asked her for help, she says there is a cure for full vampirism but she doesn't know it. She did provide a cure that's effective within three days of infection, but it was too late for Ino."

Shikamaru nodded while Chōji patted Ino on the shoulder.

"There there, Ino, it's not all bad. I bet you're really strong now!"

Ino stopped crying for a second and looked up at Chōji.

"You think?"

Chōji nodded.

"You're probably the strongest on our team now!"

Asuma nodded, suddenly thinking of an idea.

"Chōji's right Ino. In fact, you're probably now the only one who can keep up with Shino….and Sasuke."

Asuma emphasized 'Sasuke.' Ino's eyes lit as she realized.

"Yea, that's right! Sasuke and I are the same now! I bet we'll have to be put on a vampire team, and I'll spend all night with him, and we'll run through the night together basking in the moon! Oh, Sakura's going to be so jealous!"

Shikamaru sighed while Chōji and Asuma chuckled.

_Guess she's back to normal now._

-Konoha Academy, a week later-

Iruka stood in a room in the center of the Academy, one with no windows. He watched his new student in the center.

"Bunshin no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, four clones appeared around her. Iruka smiled.

"Good work, Serana! I'm having a hard time believing you've never used chakra before, your chakra control is almost perfect and your chakra reserves are impressive for a first time user."

Serana smiled.

"Thanks. We used to use something called magicka, like chakra but weaker and not connected to your stamina. Minor mistakes with magicka could have extremely unpleasant results, much worse than mistakes with chakra, so we learned to be careful."

Iruka looked at her curiously.

"Where were you from, again?"

Serana thought for a moment.

"I'm sorry but the Hokage asked me to keep that secret for now. Suffice to say you couldn't go there anymore."

Iruka nodded at that.

"Well in any case you don't really need much help from me. You've gotten the hang of generating and molding chakra, and you've mastered the basic Academy jutsu. I think you're ready to try a genin-level technique. Have you seen a shinobi tree climb?"

-Konoha dungeon-

Sandaime braced himself as he walked down the stairs. Either the sight would be gruesome, or he would have a great deal of persuading to do. He didn't even have to get to the cell to figure out which.

"Bloodbloodbloodbloodblood! Need blood!"

The Hokage stepped to the cell. Inside the jōnin's face had gone completely taut, his skin as pale as snow, his eyes glowing red, and massive fangs hanging from his mouth. He was running around madly, clawing at the barrier with his hands, yelling, growling, and hissing at the shinobi outside. Sandaime looked into his eyes; they had lost all signs of intelligence. Sandaime sighed.

_Exactly what happened to the first one. I guess a part of me hoped Serana was wrong or lying. Now how to sell it to the villagers…._

Sandaime turned to one of the ANBU guarding the cell.

"Leave him in there, after a while he'll go into stasis. We'll leave him like that until a cure can be found."

With that, Sandaime left the dungeon, mind deep in thought.

-Somewhere in Konoha, late at night-

Two chūnin leaped on top of a building, where a civilian was waiting for them. All three had a yellow tint in their eyes.

"Did you hear? Alald was caught."

One of the chūnin, a woman, scoffed.

"Serves him right. We told him to lay low, not to make a name for himself. His pride was his downfall."

The civilian shook his head.

"Another was caught as well, not from our clan but posing as a civilian. Think what you want of Alald, but Konoha was never aware of our presence before. Something has changed."

The other chūnin looked at the civilian.

"Do you have any idea why?"

The civilian nodded.

"The other day I saw a girl walking into the Hokage's office. At first I gave it no thought, but something about her garb seemed familiar. I looked it up on a hunch; it is the ancient armor of the Volkihar clan."

The chūnin were silent. The woman broke the silence.

"Do you think…the Volkihar have made some kind of deal with Konoha?"

The man held his chin in thought.

"It seems unlike them. They disdain all outsiders and the herd most of all. They're the last group to approach the Hokage."

The civilian motioned with his hand.

"Be that as it may, the fact is she is here, has spoken with the Hokage, and after doing so Alald was caught. I suspect she may be pointing us out to the Hokage, perhaps securing her own position?"

The man looked worried.

"What are we going to do?"

The civilian grinned.

"What do you think? She's been visiting the Academy; I'm guessing she can't use chakra yet. Even if she's a Volkihar, she won't be able to stop us. And we're in luck, her apartment is almost empty, one genin and a foreigner is all that's there."

-Serana's apartment-

The three crept towards Serana's door, kunai in hand. So far so good, the Konoha Night Police weren't very effective.

Suddenly they felt the air grow cold. They leaped back as ice needles crashed into their former location.

"What are you three doing here?"

Haku stepped out into the hall, senbon in hand. One of the chūnin waved her off angrily.

"Out of the way, little girl. This is none of your business."

Haku's eyes narrowed.

"Two armed chūnin in a practically empty building? You three have clearly come here with a target. Everyone here has been welcomed into Konoha by the Hokage. I cannot permit you to harm either of them."

The woman chūnin chuckled.

"Perfect, I was getting thirsty anyways."

The female charged at Haku. Haku quickly leaped back and prepared to throw her senbon.

"You think that puny weapon will hurt me?"

Haku responded by throwing the senbon into the woman's neck. She screamed and fell over. The other chūnin walked over and checked her.

"Dead. Silver senbon? I see you are prepared for us."

He got into a fighting stance, holding his kunai in front of him.

"You won't find me so easy though."

Haku smiled, and melted into water. The chūnin's eyes went wide.

"A mizu bunshin?!"

"Behind you!"

The chūnin tried to turn but Haku was already behind him, and quickly stabbed senbon into his neck. The civilian looked terrified and ran down the hall, but Haku quickly made a handsign.

"Makyō Hyōshō! (Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors)"

A mirror of ice with Haku's reflection in it appeared in front of the man. Haku threw senbon from the mirror, piercing the man's neck. Haku stepped out of the mirror and stood over the fallen opponents.

"They aren't dead, only disabled. Can you deal with them?"

An ANBU appeared next to Haku.

"How did you know I was here?"

Haku pointed to Serana's door.

"The Hokage wouldn't let a newly arrived vampire live next to Naruto just like that. And I also was watched when I first arrived here."

The ANBU nodded.

"Fair enough. Good work, I'll take it from here."

-Konoha Dungeon-

Sandaime sighed as he walked down the stairs, again.

_At this rate I should build a dedicated vampire-holding facility, one in a more convenient location_.

Sandaime turned and observed the three new tenants.

_Two chūnin, no one important but still shinobi of Konoha, and one civilian. Praise Kami Haku didn't kill any of them, if two chūnin and a civilian were found dead in the apartment of Naruto and two foreigners there would be no stopping the villagers. However, the fact that they tried to attack Serana does help confirm her trustworthiness. _

"Greetings, Hokage-sama."

Sandaime raised an eyebrow at the polite greeting from the civilian.

"Hello, what is your name?"

The civilian bowed politely.

"Ichihara Tetsuyuki, pleased to make your acquaintance. Before you ask, yes it's not my real name, but it's who I'm known as here."

The Hokage grunted.

"Yes, yes. You seem more cooperative than the others we've captured. Speak."

The woman chūnin growled at Tetsuyuki

"What are you playing at, Tetsuyuki?"

Tetsuyuki smiled.

"Merely accepting reality. We have been caught and they clearly know what we are. There's nothing to be gained from resisting at this point."

The Hokage nodded.

"I'm listening."

Tetsuyuki turned back to Sandaime.

"Thank you. Here is my proposal. I can't imagine you plan to let us live. But I can be useful to you, and I like living. More than I like my clan. And I obviously can't operate in Konoha anymore. Promise you will release me, and I will tell you the names of every vampire I know of and then leave Konoha forever."

The male chūnin balked.

"You can't be serious, Tetsuyuki! You would betray us all?"

Tetsuyuki smiled.

"I have not lived this long or built our clan without making some sacrifices."

The Hokage nodded, grimly.

"I give you my word as Hokage that I will release you should your word hold true."

Tetsuyuki smiled.

"Then we have an agreement."

Sandaime called for a scroll and pen, and made a small hole in the barrier to put them through. Tetsuyuki wrote down a list of names, his comrades raging at him the entire time. He passed it back and Sandaime looked it over.

"Thank you."

Sandaime turned to leave. Tetsuyuki lost his smile and ran to the front of his cell.

"Wait, aren't you going to let me go?"

Sandaime stopped.

"Yes, after I'm finished verifying your information and provided you aren't feral. I can't immediately trust someone so willing to betray their comrades."

Tetsuyuki turned paler.

"But that could take a week or longer! Are you at least going to feed me?"

Sandaime started walking again.

"We have already arranged provisions for the prisoners."

Tetsuyuki turned even paler and sat down. The female chūnin laughed at him.

"Serves you right, Tetsuyuki."

-Training Field near a waterfall-

Jiraiya stood over Naruto, collapsed from training.

_Forgive me, Minato…_

Naruto stood up, shaking his head.

"Huh? Where is this?"

Jiraiya put on a stern face.

"Get up. The training ends today. If you don't want to die, then figure it out yourself."

With that, Jiraiya tapped Naruto's headband with his finger. Naruto's eyes widened as he flew backwards, through all the bushes, over a giant trench.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

Naruto looked at the rocks protruding from either side of the trench.

_If I don't grab this, I'll die!_

Naruto channeled chakra to his feet, but the rocks were too slippery and he was falling too fast.

_At this rate, I'll seriously die! Oh wait, I can use that!_

"**FEIM!"**

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he turned transparent blue. His relief, however, turned back to horror as the effect wore off…still far above the bottom.

-Inside of Naruto-

Suddenly Naruto found himself inside a sewer.

_This feeling…it's _that_ chakra._

Naruto walked down the sewer until he found himself in front of a giant gate. A giant face appeared.

_Huge, what is it?_

"**Kid…come closer…**"

Naruto stepped forward….

"WHOA!"

Naruto leaped back as claws tried to shoot threw the gate.

"**Hah, you stupid fox, you missed!"**

"**Gr, shut up, you stupid tanuki."**

Naruto gasped as another face appeared. The two faces lit up, revealing the Kyūbi and Shukaku, stuck in the cell together.

"**Trying to show off and act all scary! Irritates me when you act like that! We're bijū! Let's just kill him and move on!"**

"**Idiot! You think I wouldn't if I could?! This darn seal!"**

Naruto deadpanned as the two beasts argued.

"So, you're the Kyūbi, and you're the Ichibi?"

"**I'm Shukaku! Darn it!"**

The Kyūbi just scoffed, leading to Shukaku pouncing on him. Naruto sweat-dropped as the two rolled around clawing at each other, then remembered the situation.

"HEY! STOP IT YOU TWO! I don't know what's going on but we're all going to die! Now give me your chakra as rent for living in me, dattebayo!"

The bijū stopped. The Kyūbi chuckled.

"**You've got a lot of nerve, trying to order us like that. Fine, here's a gift for coming this far…"**

The Kyūbi growled as Shukaku shoved him out of the way.

"**Stupid fox, trying to act all cool like this was all his plan and then show me up! You there! Take this chakra and show that stupid fox who's boss!"**

-Back in the real world-

Naruto shook his head, still confused at the exchange. He was jolted back to reality as he saw the ground quickly approaching.

"AHHHH!"

Naruto thrust his hands forward in panic. Suddenly sand rose from the bottom of the trench and grabbed Naruto, slowing his fall. Naruto looked up and found himself floating on a bed of sand.

"All right! Gaara's jutsu! So I _can_ control sand, dattebayo!"

Naruto thought he heard someone shout 'It's my jutsu, darn it!' He ignored it and tried raising his hands. As he did, the land lifted into the sky.

Jiraiya chuckled as he saw Naruto rising on a bed of sand.

_Well, wrong bijū but close enough. Good job. It's interesting that Shukaku's power came out before the Kyūbi's, but I guess Shukaku's is easier to handle? Minato would be proud, regardless._

-Training Field, Nighttime-

Naruto yawned as Team 7 gathered together.

"I know Kakashi-sensei's always late, but darn it! I have to get up tomorrow morning for my work-out, dattebayo!"

Sasuke smirked.

"What, not a night person, idiot?"

Naruto folded his arms.

"Well, we're not all vampires, teme."

"Hi guys!"

Sakura walked into the field, happy to see Sasuke again.

"Whoa, Naruto why do you have that gourd on your back?"

Naruto smirked and was about to explain when Kakashi appeared, several hours earlier than expected.

"Yo."

"KAKASHI-SENSEI?! YOU'RE ALMOST ON TIME!"

Kakashi chuckled.

"Well, the path of life isn't as busy during the night. Anyways, we haven't trained together in a while, so I thought it would be a good time to gather as a team."

The three heard a ring as Kakashi held up three bells.

"This again, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled.

"Yep! But…."

He gave them a serious look.

"It won't be as easy as last time."

Team 7 dead-panned.

"It wasn't easy last time!"

Sasuke smirked as the three took up positions away from Kakashi.

_Time to show my new power!_

"Go!"

* * *

><p>Kakashi smiled. This time the genin all vanished. Even Naruto resisted the urge to immediately charge.<p>

"It seems they've learned this time."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi turned and looked as Sakura stepped out of the bushes, and started preparing handsigns.

"I see you're making good use of Kurenai's genjutsu, but…"

Kakashi charged towards Sakura.

"It doesn't matter if I close the distance before you finish!"

Kakashi raised his arms as Naruto appeared and kicked at his face. Naruto's foot pushed against Kakashi's arms and he flipped back. As he landed, Sakura finished the last hand-sign and the two vanished in a cloud of cherry blossoms that surrounded Kakashi.

"Not bad, but I'm a jōnin, remember? Kai!"

Kakashi released the genjutsu only to find himself surrounded by Naruto clones.

"This again, Naruto?"

_I may be putting on a front, but Naruto's been training with Gai. With this many clones, I'll have to be on guard._

The clones charged in and Kakashi began dodging punches and kicks from all sides, countering and dispelling clones as he could. As he did, he managed to throw kunai at regular intervals through the clones at Sakura, to keep her dodging and preventing her from using another genjutsu. As he did a dark figure shot forth from the shadows in between the clones.

_Here he comes!_

Kakashi quickly grabbed a clone, turned, and launched it at Sasuke. Sasuke dodged it with ease and pressed forward.

_He's faster than before, no doubt due to his current condition. And he has the Sharingan now…this will be difficult_.

Kakashi quickly struck and dispelled the last two clones and then jumped back as Sasuke reached for the bells. Sasuke began attacking Kakashi, who was hard-pressed now to hold him back.

"Impressive Sasuke, you can almost take the bells from me while I'm not using Sharingan."

Sasuke smirked.

"I'm just getting started!"

Sasuke attacked even more aggressively.

"Well, don't get cocky!"

Kakashi skillfully deflected a punch from Sasuke and turned to kick his stomach. However, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura's eyes widened and Kakashi jumped away as a small wave of sand shot towards Kakashi. They were even more surprised when they heard the bells ring. Everyone turned and saw a small sliver of sand deposit the bells into a beaming Naruto's hand. Naruto tossed one each to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Naruto…what on earth?!"

Naruto grinned even larger.

"Yea guys, I learned how to control sand! Pretty cool, right?"

Kakashi smiled.

_So the clones earlier were a diversion. Naruto's really grown! No, between Gai's training and Zabuza's sword for close range, sand for long distance, those shouts, and his clones along with his sheer stamina, Naruto would now be difficult for even a jōnin like me to fight. Sensei, you would be proud_.

Sasuke grit his teeth.

_How?! How does he keep beating me?! How am I going to beat Itachi if I can't even keep up with a loser like this?!_

"Good work everyone! You've all really grown. Tomorrow I'll treat you all to dinner. Naruto, Sakura, you can head home now. Sasuke, let's train."

Sasuke allowed himself a smile.

_Finally, you'd better show me something that can beat that loser, Kakashi!_

Naruto pointed angrily.

"I knew it! Why does only Sasuke get to train with you, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Well first of all, haven't you found an even better trainer, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded but still folded his arms angrily.

"And besides, Sasuke's better at night now. I can't ask anyone else to stay up all night training him. I'd let you stay up too, but don't you have a morning workout to go to?"

Naruto's eyes widened as he had forgot over the course of the fight.

"Oh yea, that's right! I better go to sleep, dattebayo!"

With that, Naruto ran home, while everyone else on Team 7 chuckled and sweat-dropped. Sakura looked sad to leave.

"Well, I guess I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi waved as Sakura left. He then turned to Sasuke and pulled out a slip of paper.

"Now, let's see what you are, Sasuke."

-Hokage's Office, the next day-

Sandaime looked up to see Jiraiya enter through the window.

"I take it you're leaving soon?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"I need to meet with a contact outside of Konoha, but I'll be back soon."

Both took a breath and spoke in unison.

"I have a request….what, no, you first…"

They chuckled, and Sandaime spoke.

"Jiraiya, I've been researching a cure for our three, well, vampires. But I think we need someone better than either of us. We need Tsunade."

Jiraiya waved.

"Yea yea, I expected as much. Yea, I know where to find her; I'll go talk to her, though I don't think she'll listen to me."

Sandaime nodded.

"Thank you, Jiraiya, now what was your request?"

Jiraiya smiled.

"I want to take Naruto with me. He's too good for me to leave."

Sandaime let out a 'hm.'

"Well, Yondaime would certainly approve and you're certainly capable of protecting him. Very well, go ahead. Just don't let him discover _another_ ancient legend that's become a current threat."

Jiraiya chuckled.

"No promises."

Jiraiya turned to jump out the window.

"One more thing, Jiraiya. I assigned that Haku girl to protect Naruto. She's very loyal, so I doubt she'll let you leave without her."

Jiraiya shrugged.

"If she can catch us."


	8. Zein do Fall Sed

Author's Note: Hope I don't get writer's block, I've passed the point that I planned up to a while ago, now things are just kinda happening. And the chapters after this have to break more heavily from cannon and into original content. Which means I have to be creative. Darn.

In response to the most commonly asked question, yes werewolves will appear at some point. I'm still figuring out the best way to do so, and still deciding whether I want to fit in the Companions. There would have to be some adjustments to keep the lore consistent if so. But some of the other Rookie 12 could use a power-up…..

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto or Skyrim or any other series that I may or may not reference.<p>

* * *

><p>-Chapter 8: Zein do Fall Sed (Two of The Three)-<p>

-Team 7 Training Field, Nighttime-

Kakashi watched Sasuke as his teammates left. Sasuke's expression was pained, and had not changed since Naruto revealed he could control sand.

_I see, Naruto's growth is affecting Sasuke. I suppose it would if you didn't know the truth. Forgive me, Sandaime, but Sasuke needs this._

"Something bothering you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke shook his head.

"Just train me."

Kakashi sighed.

"It's Naruto, isn't it?"

Sasuke's silence was Kakashi's answer.

"I'm guessing you feel weak, the dead last of the class has caught and passed you so you must be failing, right?"

Sasuke grit his teeth.

"What do you know?"

Kakashi took a deep breath.

"Sasuke, what I'm about to tell you is an S-rank secret of the highest level. It is known only by three, maybe four people alive today. Needless to say…"

Kakashi let out a blast of chakra to make it clear how serious he was.

"…you are never to speak of this to anyone, not to the villagers, not to your teammates, not to the Hokage, not even to me once I've told you. Am I clear?"

Sasuke nodded, and tilted his head, curious.

"Naruto is actually the son of Yondaime."

Sasuke was wide-eyed and his jaw dropped.

"You mean that loser is…"

Kakashi nodded.

"Naruto isn't dead last because he lacks natural ability. Remember, the entire village has hated him since his birth. He's had no one to teach him even basic skills that are second nature to you. In addition, his massive chakra reserves, while certainly a great advantage, make it difficult for him to control his chakra, which makes initially learning chakra control extremely difficult. When you think about it this way, the fact Naruto learned ninjutsu at all by this age is already impressive."

Sasuke nodded.

"If he really was able to teach himself ninjutsu and he's really Yondaime's son…"

Kakashi nodded.

"He's actually a late-blooming prodigy. The reason he was dead last was he faces massive disadvantages that would've stopped anyone else. What you're seeing now is not you falling behind. It's Naruto finally catching up. And you should not be ashamed, but honored to have Naruto as your equal and comrade."

Sasuke nodded, and allowed himself a slight smile.

_I've been keeping up with Yondaime's son, maybe I am growing stronger after all…_

Kakashi smiled too.

"Yes well, now we never speak of this again."

Sasuke looked puzzled.

"Wait, does Naruto know?"

Kakashi shook his head.

"Naruto was hated by the village, but still part of it. Yondaime is loved by the village, but hated by the rest of the world. If anyone knew the truth, Naruto would be in incredible danger. And we both know Naruto wouldn't be able to keep this a secret."

Sasuke let out an amused grunt at that.

"Well in any case, we have been exploiting Naruto's innate abilities, mainly his incredible stamina, to help him grow faster. It's time we started to exploit yours…"

Kakashi revealed his Sharingan.

"I have a few short-cuts in mind for you…"

-Streets of Konoha, the next day-

"What?! Why do I have to leave?!"

Jiraiya and Naruto walked together down the streets of Konoha.

"Because we have a job, we're supposed to find a certain girl."

Naruto pouted.

"But what about my training?"

Jiraiya smiled.

"Oh don't worry, I'll teach you an awesome new jutsu on the road!"

Naruto grinned from cheek to cheek.

"All right! Let's go! I'm going to go pack my things, don't leave without me Jiraiya-sensei!"

Jiraiya chuckled as Naruto sprinted away.

-Gates of Konoha-

"All right, let's go!"

Jiraiya chuckled as Naruto nearly fell over from the giant bag he was carrying.

"Are you serious? You're bringing everything you have. We're just going for a trip."

Jiraiya leaned over and yawned as Naruto went home to drop off some stuff, sadly. He then stood up, and sealed away the Elder Scroll that he was leaning on. He smirked as he felt someone shunshin away.

_Good, they've seen it._

-Castle Volkihar-

"Lord Harkon, we've located the Elder Scroll."

Harkon turned from his…meal….and looked at Garan.

"Excellent. Tell me, where is my Elder Scroll?"

Garan nodded.

"It is in the possession of the one known as Jiraiya of the Sannin. He has just left Konoha, in the company of one of the boys that rescued Serana."

Harkon smiled.

"He is powerful but has left himself vulnerable. It is time we show them the power of a true vampire."

-The road from Konoha, evening.-

Jiraiya stopped walking in a small clearing.

"This looks like a good spot, let's stop here."

Naruto sat on a rock. Jiraiya tossed him a bag.

"You set up camp."

Jiraiya turned to walk away. Naruto pointed at him and yelled.

"Wait, why do I have to set up camp, dattebayo? Where are you going, Jiraiya-sensei?!"

Jiraiya turned with a smile on his face.

"There's a hot spring nearby! I'm going to…relax."

With that Jiraiya left, laughing creepily. Naruto folded his arms.

"Pervert."

* * *

><p>Naruto set up the tents and was sitting by a fire. He growled as a strong wind blew out the fire. As he bent over and tried to light the fire back, the air grew chilly.<p>

_Wow, I didn't realize it was so cold!_

Naruto suddenly felt a presence and ducked as something flew over him. He looked up as whatever it was stepped into the moonlight and roared. Naruto gasped.

_It's like Harkon!_

Flying in the air in front of him was a Vampire Lord, just like Harkon, staring at him with its black eyes. It started gathering red energy into its right hand, then threw the energy ball at Naruto. Naruto quickly threw his hands up and sand shot out of his gourd at the point in air he pointed. The red energy collided with the sand and exploded. Naruto gasped though, as the Vampire Lord appeared behind him, and slashed. Naruto leaped back, though its claws still cut his cheek. The Vampire Lord quickly made handsigns.

"Oh man, it can use jutsu too?!"

"Suiton: Mizudeppō (Water Style: Water Gun)"

The Vampire Lord spat a blast of high-speed water at its mouth towards Naruto.

"Makyō Hyōshō! (Crystal Ice Mirrors)!"

Naruto looked up and found himself protected by a dome of ice, a mirror next to him that Haku had stepped out of.

"Haku! What are you doing here?!"

Haku kept her eyes fixed on the Vampire Lord as she released the dome.

"I swore to protect you; I came as soon as I heard you left."

"Well well, looks like you did catch up!"

Jiraiya appeared in front of the pair, sitting on the toad he used to knock out Ebisu.

"Katon: Gamayu Endan! (Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb)"

The Vampire Lord let out a roar as it was engulfed in oil and flame. Suddenly it vanished. Jiraiya released the jutsu and his eyes narrowed as there was no body, though he could swear he saw a cloud of bats flying away. Jiraiya turned back to Naruto, who was being examined by Haku.

"One small cut, nothing much."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"One small cut is all it takes with them."

-Inside Naruto's Seal-

The Kyūbi growled and tried to block out the incessant yelling from Shukaku. As a being of living chakra he didn't actually need sleep, but darn if this darn tanuki kept him from his napping. Suddenly he opened an eye.

"**Wait, do you feel that?"**

Shukaku narrowed its eyes.

"**Don't you try to change the subject! But now that you mention it…"**

The Kyūbi growled.

"**Not happening. This place is rotten enough without him being undead.**"

The Kyūbi let out a blast of chakra.

-Back in the world-

Jiraiya and Haku leaped back as Naruto was surrounded by red chakra, powerful enough that it was visible, and his cut began healing instantly. Haku thought back to her fight with Naruto.

_It's just like that time!_

Jiraiya watched in surprise, something like black dust floated out of the wound just before it closed and burned up in the chakra. After the cut was healed the chakra subsided. Jiraiya scratched his head.

"I guess the Kyūbi doesn't like vampires. It's just a hunch but I think he'll be fine."

Haku looked angry.

"You can't just let it go like that! He was almost killed! If I hadn't been here…"

Jiraiya put up his hand.

"Oh, I knew you were there and about to intervene. I'm Jiraiya of the Sannin after all!"

Haku sighed.

"Very well, but I'm coming with you."

Jiraiya shrugged.

"Whatever…"

And then got a creepy smile.

"I'm totally fine with such beautiful company!"

Jiraiya laughed as he dodged a volley of senbon.

-Town with a Festival-

Naruto practically shook his head looking around everywhere.

"AWESOME! This is my first time seeing something like this!"

Jiraiya and Haku chuckled.

"Have a good time doing whatever you want! This will be a break before training starts, we'll train here too."

Naruto lifted his hands in the air in joy.

"All right!"

Naruto happily pulled out his wallet, excited to spend some of his mission money. He turned to run when Jiraiya grabbed him.

"Hang on! Naruto!"

Jiraiya grabbed his wallet and counted out some bills.

"I'll keep those savings for you. This is all that you can spend. There are 'three sins' that are forbidden to shinobi! Alcohol, women, and money. You cannot serve both your village and money."

Jiraiya suddenly blinked, wide-eyed, as Haku swiped Naruto's wallet back.

"I agree, which is why I will hold on to Naruto's savings."

Jiraiya folded his arms.

"Uh yea…well they would be safer with me since I'm leaving you two for a bit…"

Haku shook her head.

"I am sworn to carry his burdens. I shall not fail my comrade."

Haku gave Jiraiya a stern look. Jiraiya looked sad and sighed.

_I knew she would ruin all my fun…_

* * *

><p>After a while of having fun, Naruto and Haku went to look for Jiraiya, a grilled squid snack in hand, including one for Jiraiya. They heard Jiraiya's voice and ran into a building. As Naruto ran through the door, he ran head long into some guy in a suit. Another guy, also in a suit and bald, looked very angry.<p>

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID! What are you going to do about this, you stupid brat?! You put a stain on Akoki's designer suit! An expensive style of clothing! You better compensate us for this! Give me $100,000 for it!"

Naruto's eyes went white with shock.

"THAT SUIT IS WORTHY $100,000?!"

Just then Jiraiya stepped out into the hall.

"Even if it is designer, that suit still looks pretty dang cheap."

A vein bulged on the balk man's head.

"WHAT DID YA SAY?! Cheap?! You better not mess with us for your sake! Akoki is a former chūnin from Iwagakure! He's a legendary yami-nin and someone to be afraid of! An incredibly skilled ninja!"

Jiraiya stepped forward, smiling.

"Ah? Legendary…you say?"

Akoki's vein also bulged, and he charged at Jiraiya.

"I'll show you what pain really is!"

Jiraiya watched him calmly.

"Naruto…pay close attention. I'll show you a jutsu you'll be learning. Take a good look."

As he spoke, chakra swirled into a spiraling sphere in Jiraiya's hand. Akoki flew back as Jiraiya slammed the ball into his stomach, sending him crashing into a cart of water balloons.

"Catch."

Jiraiya tossed Naruto a water balloon, and then proceeded to purchase the entire cart.

"Naruto! Haku! Let's get going! Time for training!"

-Tanzaku-

"Darn it!"

Naruto closed his eyes as water and chakra exploded in his hands.

"This third step is way harder, dattebayo!"

Haku patted his shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll get it, Naruto."

Naruto smiled.

"Thanks Haku, it's nice to have some **encouragement**."

Naruto gave Jiraiya a death glare, which Jiraiya ignored.

"Let's eat dinner here."

Naruto and Haku both narrowed their eyes.

"What? Isn't this place a pup?"

Jiraiya grunted.

"Idiot, information is always found at places like this!"

Suddenly Jiraiya stopped, eyes wide.

"Hey! Tsunade!"

Tsunade looked up from her sake.

"Jiraiya? Why are you at a place like this?"

Jiraiya walked over.

"Finally, we've found you. Boy have I got a story for you!"

Tsunade roared in laughter.

"You expect me to believe Sarutobi-sensei wants me back…to cure vampires?"

Jiraiya nodded sheepishly. Tsunade laughed again.

"That's rich. This has got to be the dumbest argument you've ever come up with, Jiraiya. Next you'll tell me this brat here slew a dragon!"

Jiraiya grinned sheepishly.

"Well actually…"

Naruto stood up.

"Hey! I did slay a dragon! Well technically Kakashi-sensei helped but it doesn't matter, dattebayo!"

Tsunade laughed again.

"Hahaha, who are you, brat?"

Naruto pointed angrily at her.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and don't underestimate me! I'm going to become Hokage, dattebayo!"

Tsunade chuckled.

"What a foolish thing to say."

Jiraiya and Shizune frowned.

_Oh no…here goes…_

"What the heck do you mean by that?!"

Tsunade smirked.

"Even Yondaime died quickly. He gave up his life for the village. Life is different from money. It can't be gambled that easily. Whoever puts it at risk so easily is a fool. My grandfather and Niidaime both focued too much on bringing peace to our home, more than anything else. But as a result, they just died in the middle of their dreams, like losers. Being Hokage is crap, no one but a fool would do it!"

At this Naruto leaped on the table, fist pulled back to punch Tsunade. Jiraiya grabbed the back of his shirt and held him back.

"LET ME GO!"

Jiraiya sighed.

"You do realize we're at a bar?"

Naruto grit his teeth.

"I can't forgive anyone that says bad things about the Hokages and Yondaime! I don't care if she's a girl, I'm going to kick her butt!"

Tsunade stood up.

"You've got some guts to say such things to me boy, let's take this outside."

-Outside-

Tsunade closed her eyes, smirking.

"I was one of the Sannin, I don't even have to be serious to fight this little ninja boy!"

Naruto's face twisted in anger.

"Shut up!"

Tsunade opened her eyes, and pointed a finger.

"One finger should be enough."

Naruto threw a kunai, which Tsunade dodged. She leaped back to avoid a punch from Naruto. Haku moved to intervene but Jiraiya blocked her with his arm.

"Let them…this is Naruto's fight."

"Well, you're faster than I expected, I'll give you that you brat!"

Tsunade swiped upward with her finger, knocking off Naruto's headband. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as she moved to flick him, and was sent flying away.

"Hey kid! I'll ask you one thing before you pass out. Why do you get so excited when you hear the word Hokage?"

Naruto stood back up.

"I really want to the gain the Hokage name and I will! Because it's my dream to become Hokage, dattebayo!"

Tsunade's eyes widened as she was bombarded with flashbacks. Tsunade looked down, sad.

_She's vulnerable now!_

Tsunade opened her eyes in shock as Naruto started charging forward…with a Rasengan in his hands! She was about to take a step back in shock, but she looked down and saw sand holding her feet down. Tsunade bent down and quickly hit the ground with her finger, opening a huge trench in the ground underneath Naruto. Naruto tripped and the Rasengan dissipated.

Suddenly everyone heard a roar, and looked around. They heard people screaming. Something flew by overhead, and a civilian cried out.

"DRAGON!"

A dragon swooped overhead, breathing fire onto the helpless town. A few guards tried firing arrows at it but they dragon engulfed them in flames. The rest turned in fear and started running with the panicked crowds. Tsunade stared wide-eyed.

"So…he was telling the truth when he said he killed a dragon?"

Jiraiya nodded grimly as he watched the dragon. Tsunade turned to him.

"And you were too….maybe I'll go back and see what Sarutobi-sensei wants then."

Jiraiya nodded.

"But first…"

The two ducked as the dragon flew overhead.

"If our intel is right, we can easily take it down with one of our attacks. But we'll need to get up there. Come on everyone!"

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune leaped on top of a building. Haku helped Naruto get back up, and then they followed. Everyone watched as the dragon circled overhead. A shinobi in the town leaped at it and jumped on its head. He tried stabbing with a kunai, but it couldn't pierce the dragons hide. The dragon spun and the shinobi fell from the sky. The dragon then began flying higher, shooting fireballs down at the town below.

"Darn, it seems to have learned from that, it's flying outside of range."

Naruto looked confused.

"Can't you just use your toads?"

Jiraiya shook his head.

Any toad that could jump that high would destroy the half the town itself. Haku! Can your jutsu reach?"

Haku nodded.

"I can get that far, but I can only transport myself, and my senbon won't hurt it."

Jiraiya turned back to his student.

"In that case, Naruto how well do you know how to use that sand?"

* * *

><p>Jiraiya and Tsunade rose on beds of sand, Tsunade wide-eyed.<p>

"How can that brat do this?"

Jiraiya watched as they approached the dragon.

"Suna sent the Ichibi jinchūriki to Konoha. He was killed by a dragon. We're not sure how, but when he was killed, Naruto absorbed the Ichibi from him. This is Shukaku's influence."

Tsunade gasped.

"He has _two_ bijū inside of him?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Get ready, we're almost in range!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade came up behind the dragon. The dragon turned its head and saw them; it then growled and shot forward, looped back and charged towards the two shinobi. Tsunade leaped at it, ready to punch. However, the dragon tucked in its right wing and rolled to the right, causing Tsunade to pass through the air. Naruto moved the bed of sand and caught her.

"**Yol…Toor Shul!"**

"Katon: Endan! (Fire Style: Flame Bomb)"

Jiraiya breathed a bullet of fire that collided with the dragon's fireball before it struck Tsunade. The dragon roared and flew off.

"It's too fast! I can't hit it while it's in the air!"

Jiraiya nodded.

"We need to bring it to the ground! Hari Jizō! (Needle Jizo)"

Jiraiya's hair wrapped around him and grew sharp as needles as the dragon charged back towards them.

"Jiraiya! Senbon won't work against it! Its scales are too tough!"

Jiraiya smiled.

"That depends where you aim. Hari Jigoku! (Needle Hell)"

Jiraiya shout out a volley of his hardened needle hair to either side of the dragon. The needles pierced through the dragon's wings and it roared in pain. The dragon began descending, landing in a clear area in the center of the town.

"Let's go!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade leaped off the sand down towards the town. They arrived in the clearing at the same time as their comrades. The dragon had landed but was still breathing fire and destroying buildings. Tsunade cracked her fist.

"I'll take care of this! HA!"

The dragon turned as Tsunade yelled. It let out another fire breath but Tsunade jumped high in the air. She was about to punch it, but the dragon grabbed her in its jaw and flung her away.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Shizune ran to Tsunade, who was sitting on the ground. Her wounds weren't fatal, but bleeding heavily.

"Blood…so much…blood…."

The dragon roared and moved to strike.

Tsunade's eyes widened though, as Naruto jumped in front of her and slashed with Kubikiribōchō. The dragon roared and took a step back. Naruto leaped at it and swung, but this time the dragon was ready and grabbed the sword in between its teeth, ripping it out Naruto's hands and sending him flying back. Shizune gasped.

"Naruto! Get out of here! You can't fight a dragon alone!"

Naruto stood up.

"I'll never give up, that is **my** ninja way, dattebayo!"

Haku moved to intervene but Jiraiya stopped with his arm.

"What are you doing?! Naruto needs help!"

Jiraiya smiled.

"Look at Tsunade…she needs to see this. And believe in Naruto!"

Naruto jumped at the dragon but was blown back by a blast of fire. He stood up, smoking, and made a round of kage bunshin. As they charged the dragon turned around and swiped with its tail, dispelling them all and knocking Naruto back again. Tsunade looked down as he stood back up.

"Why….why are you?"

Naruto made another kage bunshin.

"NARUTO STOP IT! RUN!"

Naruto held out his hand. Tsunade gasped as the clone began spinning its hands around, and a Rasengan appeared in Naruto's hand right as the dragon moved to grab him with its mouth.

"Until I become Hokage…I refuse to die!"

Naruto thrust the Rasengan at the dragon's mouth. It roared in pain as it was engulfed in a sphere of chakra. Tsunade and Shizune watched in surprise. Naruto smiled and fell to the ground from exhaustion.

"Did…did that do it?"

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.

_Moving all that sand from a far distance, fighting this dragon, using kage bunshin and Rasengan and all after fighting Tsunade and training all day. Naruto's at his limit…_

As the smoke cleared, the dragon stood, breathing heavily. Tsuande and Shizune gasped. Jiraiya nodded at Haku and they leaped into action.

"**Yol…Toor Shul!"**

"NARUTO!"

Tsunade cried out, but the fire cleared to reveal a dome of ice protecting Naruto. The dragon growled but was engulfed in flame.

"Over here you over-grown lizard!"

The dragon walked over to Jiraiya and growled. Suddenly it was flung away as Tsunade punched it.

"Heh, nice of you to join us, Tsunade."

Shizune gasped.

"Tsunade-sama, the blood!"

"I don't care anymore, Shizune! I won't let anyone else die! You tend to Naruto, I'll take care of this!"

Shizune started healing Naruto behind Haku's ice dome. Jiraiya nodded at Tsunade.

_This dragon seems much tougher than what Kakashi mentioned. But with two Sannin, we should be fine…_

The dragon took a breath, but this time did not spit fire.

"**Diil…Qoth…Zaam!**"

A circle a purple energy appeared and what appeared to be an armored living corpse appeared. The corpse leaped on the dragon's back. Blue energy surged from the dragon into the corpse…

Jiraiya and Tsunade gasped.

"Is that…chakra? That thing is doing handsigns! Tsunade get back! This is bad!"

Jiraiya quickly began handsigns of his own.

"_Yudan no jutsu…_(Oil Bomb Jutsu)"

"**Yol…Toor Shul!"**

The corpse spit a blast of oil at the two Sannin while the dragon sent out a blast of fire, igniting the oil. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as he and Tsunade leaped to either side of the blast.

_So it's using that corpse to mold its chakra, and combining it with its own breath. This is bad…these dragons are clearly intelligent and they're adapting to fight shinobi…_

"Haku! We need your help! Take out that corpse!"

Haku nodded.

"On it! Makyō Hyōshō! (Crystal Ice Mirrors)"

A mirror appeared behind the corpse and Haku shot out of it, senbon in hand. The corpse dodged Haku's attack and pulled out an axe, and the two began fighting.

"Now Tsunade! Suiton: Mizudeppō! (Water Style: Water Gun)"

Jiraiya blasted the dragon's head with water. Distracted, it didn't see Tsunade leaping up from the side.

"TAKE THIS! HA!"

Tsunade punched with all her strength into the dragon's head. It was smashed into the ground so hard a small crater appeared and the earth shook. Its body was flung up, throwing Haku and the corpse into the air. Jiraiya shot a blast of flame at the corpse and then caught Haku. After putting her down he walked over to the dragon, Tsunade standing there too.

"Is it over?"

"I think so…"

The shinobi jumped back as the dragon suddenly started glowing. Tsunade gasped as the dragon's flesh turned into energy and swirled into Naruto.

"What on earth…"

-Naruto's mind-

Naruto grunted. Every inch of his body ached as he lay on the ground. He grunted and pushed up under him with his wings.

"Wait, I have wings? OH!"

Another dragon landed in front of Naruto, preparing to bite his neck and end him. The dragon said something, but Naruto couldn't understand it. Naruto opened his mouth.

"**GAAN!"**

Energy flew from the other dragon into Naruto, and he stood up, reinvigorated.

-Hokage's Office, a few days later-

Sandaime raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"I have to admit, I did not expect you would actually return, Tsunade."

The Tanzaku group walked into his office.

"As long as dragons are real, why not return to this place? And so are vampires I hear?"

Sandaime nodded. Tsunade grunted.

"Just tell me where they are, I'll see what I can do."

Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"I've asked them to go to the hospital; the staff there can direct you."

Tsunade turned and walked out of the room.

"Come Shizune, we have work to do."

Jiraiya shook his head and smiled. Sandaime smiled sadly.

"She's still not fully past the pain, I guess she wants to distract herself. Now she said you encountered a dragon?"

Jiraiya's smile faded.

"Yes, and this time it openly attacked a town during the day."

Sandaime nodded grimly and let out a 'hm.'

"You don't seem surprised."

The Hokage sighed.

"Before you returned, we began receiving distress calls from various towns in both ours and allied nations. We've received reports that all the other nations have experienced at least one attack, though none of the shinobi villages have been hit yet."

Jiraiya frowned.

"Then my news will be even worse."

Sandaime looked at Jiraiya worried.

"What happened?"

Jiraiya gave the Hokage a serious stare.

"The dragon we fought used ninjutsu."

The Hokage's eyes widened.

"Not only that, it used tactics adapted against shinobi, flying out of our range and bombarding us from afar. These dragons aren't simple beasts, they are learning and adapting to us."

Sandaime grunted.

"And right in the middle of this vampire mess. I'm going to ask the villages to coordinate on this. And Jiraiya, there's no helping it now. We need more intel on these dragons as soon as possible, whatever the risk."

Jiraiya nodded.

"Well he probably hasn't unpacked yet, hopefully Iwa's distracted by these dragons too…"

-Konoha Hospital, lab room-

Sandaime walked into the room. Tsunade, in a lab coat, was staring into a microscope, while Shizune ran around mixing things.

"Anything?"

Tsunade looked up from her microscope, a grim look on her face.

"This isn't something medic jutsu can fix. Their bodies seem to be functioning normally, but their cells…they aren't aging. Their digestive system is different too."

Sandaime sighed. If Tsunade couldn't do anything, he wasn't sure who could.

"I'll keep researching this. From what you've told me there's some sort of pathogen. If I can figure out how it works, there may be a chance. But it's going to take some time."

Sandaime nodded.

"Thank you, Tsunade."

Tsunade waved him off.

"Yea yea just stop interrupting my work."

-Jōnin Council-

Sandaime sat in the council seat, again, but this time just with the jōnin.

"Thank you all for coming. I said at first that we wanted to send each team on several missions before making any decisions. However, circumstances are such that missions may be increasingly dangerous, and we need every able-bodied shinobi at our disposal to counter growing threats. As such, you may each nominate one of the genin from your mission for immediate promotion. You all have received copies of the mission reports, so you should be adequately informed. We'll start with you, Kakashi."

Kakashi stepped forward.

"Shikamaru performed remarkably well. He was intelligent and perceptive, he was most aware of the situation out of the three, and his jutsu and strategy were key to our mission's success. He worked very well with all of us, and was able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Naruto's also noteworthy, his capabilities are currently a match for any chūnin."

The other jōnin nodded their agreement at Shikamaru, but there was a great deal of murmuring when Naruto is mentioned. Sandaime turned to Asuma.

"We have a plans for Naruto in the immediate future, so let's discuss Shikamaru. Asuma you're his sensei, what can you add?"

Asuma beamed with pride.

"His motivation is concerning, but he'll step up when the going gets rough. He has all the qualities needed in a mission leader."

Sandaime nodded.

"Then it's decided. Kurenai?"

Kurenai stood.

"Tenten was the most natural leader on my team. She was confident, calm, and intelligent. She was able to encourage and control her teammates as necessary, and her abilities were key to our success.

The other jōnin nodded. Sandaime looked at her sensei.

"Gai?"

Gai gave a thumbs up.

"Yosh! Tenten is truly a wonderful student!"

Sandaime nodded.

"How about your team Gai?"

Gai nodded.

"I was concerned at first, but Neji's attitude seems to have improved."

-Hyūga Compound, a while back-

_Neji sat in the eating area, eating in silence. He heard two of the clan members talking behind him._

"_Did you hear?"_

"_Hear what?"_

"_About the reason they cancelled the chūnin exams?"_

"_No, why?"_

"_Well, I heard one of the Suna kids was a jinchūriki!"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yea, and that it destroyed the tower in the Forest of Death!"_

_Neji closed his eyes and clenched his fists, thinking of Naruto struggling every day at Gai's workouts, and then fighting against Gaara._

How? How did that loser become so strong? Why was he able to defy his fate?

_Neji clenched his fists tighter._

And why can't I?

_Neji's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the clan head, Hiashi._

"_Hiashi-_sama_"_

"_Neji, come with me, we need to talk._"

_Neji followed Hiashi reluctantly, trying to imagine what the clan head would tell him this time. As they got to a private room, he was utterly surprised when Hiashi got on the ground and kow-towed to him..._

-Back in the Present-

"I believe he would make a fine chūnin."

Everyone turned to Kurenai, who nodded.

"Hinata tells me he's improved substantially, and they're on cordial terms now."

A few of the jōnin gasped at that. Sandaime smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. Asuma?"

One of the jōnin balked.

"Hokage-sama, you can't be serious! With their condition..."

The Hokage raised a hand.

"I am aware. But their condition is not common knowledge, and they seem to be able to function well enough. Not only that, since they are already infected we need not fear if they get attacked again, in that way they are an even safer choice than the others. Asuma?"

Asuma nodded.

"Circumstances non-withstanding, both Sasuke and Shino performed admirably. Out of the two, Sasuke was the most natural leader."

Kakashi gave a thumbs-up. None of the jōnin argued. Sandaime stood.

"Then it's decided. We'll still send them on the missions for their comrades consideration, but if needed we will send them on their own missions as well."

Kakashi turned to the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, if Naruto is going on a training trip, won't that unbalance the teams for the next round?"

The Hokage nodded.

"Yes but I've come up with a solution..."

-Ichiraku Ramen-

Naruto was happily slurping his ramen.

"Hey loser."

Naruto turned.

"Teme! What are you doing here?"

Sasuke smirked and opened up his coat, revealing the Konoha flak jacket underneath.

"WHAT THE HECK?! YOU'RE A CHŪNIN?! WHY YOU?! I'M AS STRONG AS YOU, DATTEBAYO!"

Sasuke continued smirking.

"Idiot, a chūnin has to be smart too, make decisions _calmly_."

Kakashi walked in just in time to watch their interaction and smile.

_It may only be to make fun of you Naruto, but you're the first person Sasuke's told._

"Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you doing here? Why aren't I a chūnin yet like Teme?"

Kakashi chuckled.

"Don't worry, Naruto. This was just the first group. Speaking of which my team is gathering here for a mission, Sasuke was just on his way to his too."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Awesome! So when do we leave, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Um, well…Naruto. You're not coming with me."

Naruto's face dropped.

"What?! Why not?!"

"Because you're coming with me!"

Jiraiya appeared behind both of them and smiled at Naruto.

"And we're going to learn more about your secret dragon jutsu!"

Naruto grinned at the thought of more secret dragon jutsu.

"All right!"

Then he thought for a second.

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei if I'm leaving who's going with you?"

Kakashi smiled.

"Well the teams change anyway Naruto, but the one who's taking your place has just arrived."

Naruto turned and saw Serana, now sporting a Konoha headband.

"Whoa Serana, you're a shinobi now?!"

Serana smiled.

"Yea, turns out this ninjutsu stuff is easier than I thought."

Kakashi smiled.

"She had some capabilities before and picked up the basic ninjutsu fairly quickly, so Hokage-sama wanted to see what she can do on a mission. She'll be joining us until you get back."

Naruto grinned.

"I guess I can live with that. Do a good job for me, dattebayo!"

Serana smiled.

"I'll try my best."


	9. Grohiik ahrk Deyra

Author's Note:

A chapter not about Naruto! Yay! Because Skyrim is a game of side quests and therefore side characters!

Just FYI, the other teams from the first mission were:

Hinata/Tenten/Lee and Neji/Sakura/Choji with random chunin/special jonin support

This round's teams are:

Gai/Hinata/Lee/Shikamaru/Hana

Kakashi/Serana/Tenten/Sasuke/Shizune

Asuma/Kiba/Ino/Neji/some random chunin/special jonin

Kurenai/Shino/Choji/Sakura/ditto

As for why Naruto's not a chunin yet, well that was just the first round. You had to be exceptionally qualified and not being picked isn't the end. Naruto is exceptionally qualified as far as pure strength is concerned, but he hasn't shown the awareness, calm, and strategy needed yet. Shikamaru did better in that case. And remember, not many people actually know about Naruto's abilities yet, in fact b/c of the Chunin exam cancellation the village's perception of him hasn't changed from day 1. Naruto didn't beat Neji in front of everyone, and even Gaara he didn't beat Shukaku like before, and Tsunade's not Hokage. Kakashi knows he needs an ironclad case for Naruto to get promoted (or for his reputation to change, which may or may not occur), and in this case he wouldn't be able to argue Shikamaru wouldn't be the better mission leader. And besides, its funny for Naruto to be the Hokage-power genin like in canon. Which would totally match how the guards act towards you in Skyrim. You saved the world twice, ended the civil war, and are Harbinger of the companions? Don't care, you took a spoon from the Inn, you're coming with me.

Sadly I won't be killing Sasuke (yet). But I am trying to make him less emo. Trying. Making Alduin a good guy might be easier. Or I could just res the First Hokage like Kishi.

Slight consistency error when I implied Sasuke was on a different team last time but now he is on Kakashi's team. W/e let's all pretend that didn't happen. I hadn't decided the teams so was leaving options open, sorry. Maybe Kakashi trying to avoid Naruto getting jealous at more Kakashi time? Yea, lets go with that.

-Chapter 9: Grohiik ahrk Deyra (Wolves and Daedra)-

-Konoha Gates-

Naruto waved at Team 7 and Serana as he, Jiraiya, and Haku set out from Konoha. There was no telling when they'd be back, but no matter, Jiraiya would probably teach him another epic jutsu on the way! Kakashi, Serana, and Sakura waved back, while Sasuke just smirked...but Naruto could swear in a slightly more friendly way than before. Kakashi turned back to his team.

"Well now, my team will be meeting here to head out. I'm sure you two need to get to your teams. Good luck!"

-Shimo no Kuni-

"Keep it up team! We're almost there!"

Gai turned back and gave his team a thumbs up and a smile. Lee saluted.

"Yosh! Gai-sensei! Surely we will beat the record!"

Hinata, Shikamaru, and Hana were too busy panting and trying not to collapse.

"So...troublesome..."

Hana's dogs whined. Hana just nodded her agreement. Hinata gulped.

_Is this why Neji-kun is so strong?_

The three would've shouted for joy had they had any breath as the team reached the town. Gai pulled out a stopwatch and then gave his team the nice guy pose.

"We've done it! Great work team!"

Lee raised his arms and jumped for joy.

"We couldn't have done it without your leadership, Gai-sensei."

Both master and student had tears of affection.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

The other three shinobi collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to react. Someone watching from an alleyway disappeared into the shadows.

-Camp site nearby-

A jōnin from Kumogakure stood while his team sat by the campfire. There were seven of them including him.

"Kokei! Report!"

One of the Kumo-nin, a man, stood up.

"Yes sir! All clear in my area!"

"Very good, Mina?"

"Clear as well!"

The jōnin proceeded through all his squad.

"Good work team, once Reijiro reports from town we'll be ready to move on to the next area."

Kokei leaned back, holding the back of his head with his hands.

"Man, why don't we just stay in the town and say we checked?"

The woman named Mina punched him.

"Oh come on Mina, you don't seriously believe we're going to find a dragon do you?"

The jōnin walked up behind him.

"We were given an order, soldier. You don't have to like it, but you will follow it. And we all saw that village earlier. Villages don't burn themselves down."

As the squad pondered that thought, a cloaked figure jumped into the campsite.

"Reijiro! You're late!"

Reijiro pulled back his hood.

"Sorry, something popped up."

The jōnin folded his arms.

"Well, let's hear it."

Reijiro nodded.

"The townspeople haven't seen any dragons, though they are concerned about some wolf-pack. What's interesting is a team from Konoha is here to deal with it."

Mina frowned.

"It's strange they would ask Konoha instead of us."

The jōnin frowned too.

"Maybe, but the town is close to the Hi no Kuni border and we are a bit understaffed due to this dragon situation. In any case, it doesn't matter, the Raikage gave us strict instructions to avoid contact with foreign shinobi."

Reijiro smiled.

"I think he might make an exception in this case."

Kokei tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

Reijiro continued smiling.

"They have a Hyūga girl with them. I got a glimpse of her forehead...she's from the main house."

The other Kumo-nin smiled at this. The jōnin folded his arms and closed his eyes.

"Hm..."

-The forest, the next day-

Gai's team was lead by a townsman to a clearing in the forest.

"This is where I saw them last. Now if you don't mind, I'm getting out of here, I'd rather not be around when you find them!"

Gai nodded and the townsman started running back. He gave his team the nice guy pose.

"All right team! Spread out and look for any sign of these wolves!"

While the genin and Shikamaru did so, Gai walked up to Hana.

"Anything?"

Hana sniffed the air and frowned.

"They were definitely here, all right, but something smells off. Whatever they are, they're not just wolves. Also...it's a bit faint but I think there are other shinobi in the area"

Gai frowned.

"Probably because of the dragons. But they shouldn't interfere with us if so. We'll be careful, regardless."

Gai was interrupted by a yell, or as loud a voice as possible for her, from Hinata.

"G-Gai-sensei!"

Gai turned and ran towards the genin.

"What is it, Hinata?"

Hinata gulped and pointed.

"I-I think I found some tracks."

Gai gave her the nice guy pose.

"Good work Hinata! Let's find out where these go team!"

-Nighttime, in Hi no Kuni-

Tenten grunted as a branch hit her face for the tenth or so time.

"Kakashi-sensei, why are we traveling during the night?"

Kakashi kept his attention forward as they leaped through the trees.

"Our mission is to investigate a potential vampire attack. If we slept during the night, we'd be vulnerable to attack."

Serana nodded.

"And, well, the sun isn't good for some of our skins, if you know what I mean."

Tenten sighed, and was promptly smacked in the face by another small branch.

After a bit Kakashi raised his hand and the five stopped on a branch. Visible between the leaves of the trees ahead of them was the entrance to a cave. There was a Konoha shinobi leaning against the wall of the cave.

"Serana, what do you think?"

Serana peered through the trees.

"Yes, I think he's a thrall. This looks like the right place."

Kakashi nodded and then vanished. He appeared behind the shinobi and silently knocked him out. His team leaped out in front of him as he tied up the shinobi.

"We'll come back and see if we can help him later. Sasuke, Serana, take the lead since infection's not an issue for you two. Tenten, be ready to cover them. I'll stay back and guard Shizune since she's carrying the cure. Let's move."

-Shimo no Kuni-

Team Gai followed the tracks. They made it out into another clearing. Everyone twitched their noses, as in front of them was a deer that had been torn apart a day or two ago. Hana sudden stopped and sniffed the air and her dogs started growling.

"They're close!"

Gai turned to Hinata, who made a handsign.

"Byakūgan!"

Hinata gasped.

"A-around us! They're...they're..."

Hinata didn't finish as a shadow shot out of the bushes, charging towards the shinobi.

"Lee!"

"Yosh!"

Lee and Gai jumped at kicked in unison.

"Konoha Senpū! (Leaf Whirlwind)"

The combined kicks sent the creature flying, allowing the shinobi a good look. At first it looked like a wolf, but the shinobi realized that except for the wolf-head it was humanoid, with human-like limbs and muscles, though much much larger, covered in fur, and ending in massive claws.

"Gai-sensei, what is that?"

"I don't know Lee, but get ready! It seems there are more!"

Two more of the creatures charged out of the bushes towards the green duo. Gai and Lee each ran to meet one. The creatures froze right before clashing with the two. Shikamaru flinched and grunted.

"They're strong! I can't hold them for long!"

Fortunately he didn't have to as Gai and Lee closed the distance and knocked them away too.

"B-Behind us!"

Hinata's warning was too late, one of the creatures leaped out of the bushes and slashed at Shikamaru, who jumped and avoided fatal damage but was still cut. Hinata moved to help, but the creature turned and pounced on top of her. She let out a scream as she fell to the ground.

"Hinata-san!"

Hinata flinched, terrified. Her eyes widened as the creature pulled back its claws.

"_I'm going to become Hokage, dattebayo!_"

Hinata had a flash of Naruto's grinning face.

_I-I can't give up! Naruto-kun wouldn't give up!_

Hinata gathered her chakra and struck the creature in the chest with her palm.

"Jūken! (Gentle Fist)"

The creature growled, then pulled its arm back and slashed with its claws. Hinata gasped as the claws cut through her cheek, but suddenly stopped. Shikamaru grunted, but the creature was already breathing heavily. After a few seconds it fell on top of Hinata, and everything went black.

* * *

><p>"Hinata-san! Are you ok?"<p>

Lee and Gai lifted the creature off of Hinata. Hinata sat up slowly while Hana walked over and started healing her wound.

"I-I think so...s-sorry for worrying you."

Gai gave her the nice guy pose.

"Hinata, you are our comrade! Never feel like your well-being is a burden to us!"

Hinata just stared up at Gai for a second.

"H-Hai!"

Hana nodded.

"She's fine, we're ready to move."

Gai made a fist in front of his face.

"Yosh! Good work defeating these monsters team! Unfortunately a few of them escaped, but we'll run twice as fast and catch them!"

Shikamaru groaned.

-Hi no Kuni-

"HA!"

Tenten unsealed a yari and stabbed with all her might, running the charging vampire through the heart. As she resealed the yari, Serana threw a ball of blew energy, and the fallen vampire rose, glowing blue cracks in its skin. Tenten deadpanned and stopped herself from attacking.

_I'm never going to get used to that..._

Another vampire appeared behind Serana. Tenten quickly threw a silver-coated kunai into its head. A group appeared from another entrance down the hall, but Sasuke engulfed them in flame. Suddenly a kunai with an explosive tag attached shot into the middle of the group.

"Get back!"

Everyone scattered, Serana's reanimated vampire getting caught in the blast. Tenten heard a cracking noise and looked down. The ground fell beneath her.

"AHHH!"

Tenten shook her head. Luckily the fall wasn't that far down. She was about to jump up when she saw a chest in front of her. She scanned it quickly for traps and opened the lid. Inside there was a white gem. She reached in and picked it up.

"_**A new hand touches the beacon**_."

Tenten jumped at the voice in her head.

"_**Listen! Hear me and obey! A foul darkness has filled my temple. A darkness that you shall destroy. Bring my beacon to the mountain to the west and I will make you the instrument of my cleansing light**_."

Tenten shook her head.

_What was that? Anyways I should get back to the battle!_

Tenten sealed away the gem, leaped out of the hole, and rejoined the fight.

-Shimo no Kuni-

Despite the most youthful pace they could manage, Team Gai was unable to catch the retreating creatures. With a most heavy heart, Gai called for his team to stop, tears in his eyes.

"For this failure, I will do five hundred one-handed push-ups!"

Hana, Shikamaru, and Hinata collapsed while Gai began his self-imposed punishment. Lee ran up to him.

"As will I, Gai-sensei!"

Hana yawned and unsealed a sleeping mat.

"Well, since you two will be up anyways, you can have the first watch."

Hana rolled up in her mat, her dogs around her, and immediately passed out. Shikamaru yawned and followed. Hinata laid out her sleeping and mat, and laid down to do the same.

* * *

><p>Hinata tossed, trying one more time to get comfortable. Another 'Lee! Gai-Sensei!' rang out. Hinata tried covering her ears but nothing worked, she simply could not sleep. She heard someone stirring next to her.<p>

"You two are so troublesome. Well I can't sleep anyways, so I guess I'll take the next watch..."

-With Team Asuma-

Ino stopped and started trembling uncontrollably.

"Ino? How on earth are you cold? You're not even alive!"

Ino glared at Kiba, then got a worried expression on her face.

"I don't know...I feel like something very wrong just happened."

-Back with Team Gai-

Hinata got up.

"Um...I can't sleep either so I can take the watch, Shikamaru-san."

Shikamaru yawned.

"Sure, you're quiet so maybe I'll be able to sleep now."

-Back at the attack site-

The Kumo-nin landed in the clearing.

"Mina?"

Mina bent down, observing the ground.

"There was obviously a battle here, looks like they went that way."

She pointed towards the forest.

"It seems they were in a hurry. They aren't even trying to cover their trail."

Kokei shrugged.

"Why would they? Not like they're expecting us."

The jōnin shook his head.

"Don't get cocky. From Reijiro's intel they have an Inuzuka as well as a Hyūga. They will know we're coming, maybe not now but certainly before we catch them. Let's move."

-With Team Gai-

Hinata sighed as the sun rose. Maybe an hour or two of sleep at most. Shikamaru yawned.

"Troublesome...now even sleeping's difficult."

Gai stood before the sleepy genin, somehow full of energy.

"Yosh! Let's get going team! We have wolves to chase!"

Hinata let out a sigh in unison with Shikamaru and Hana's groans.

-Hi no Kuni-

Tenten let out a deep breath as Shizune sealed the last vampire body in a scroll. The battle had been quite fierce. Kakashi smiled and gave them a thumbs up.

"Good work everyone, looks like that's the last of them. And no new infections either."

Sasuke walked up to Tenten.

"So, Tenten, where did you go during that fight?"

Tenten thought for a moment.

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot."

She pulled out a scroll and unsealed the gem.

"I found a chest with this gem inside down that hole."

Sasuke grunted.

"Doesn't take that long to grab a gem."

Tenten flashed him an angry look.

"Well sorry for checking for traps! Actually, when I grabbed it I heard a voice in my head. It told me to go to some temple in the mountain to the west."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and turned to Serana.

"Well it's not a vampire artifact. I have a guess, but I'd have to see the temple to be sure."

Kakashi sighed.

_So much for not discovering more ancient legends, sorry Hokage-sama..._

"Well we finished this mission pretty quickly. Sasuke, why don't you take Shizune back home? I'm sure Tsunade-sama would like to see those corpses as soon as possible. Serana, Tenten, and I will go investigate this temple."

-Shimo no Kuni, a few days later-

"KONOHA SENPŪ!"

Gai knocked away another one of the creatures. Team Gai had finally caught their quarry, only to find a whole den full of them! Lee knocked away another.

"Isn't this a excellent test of our youth, Gai-sensei?"

Gai punched another in the jaw as it tried to bite him.

"Focus Lee! We will need all our youth for this fight!"

Lee saluted.

"Hai! Gai-sensei!"

Shikamaru grimaced.

_Even those two are starting to get tired, and there's no end to them. They may be acting tough, but if we don't do something soon we're going to be in serious trouble!_

Another creature charged towards Shikamaru, but he stopped it with his shadow. A few moments later, Hana crashed into it, spinning.

"Tsūga! Gai! We can't win this fight! We have to get out of here!"

Just then they heard a scream. Everyone turned and saw one of the creatures leap at Hinata. The creature collided with her, both of them hurtling forward and off a cliff.

"Hinata!"

"Gai look out!"

Gai was distracted, and one of the creatures tried to slash him. Its arms stopped inches from his face, and he kicked it away.

"Nice save, Shikamaru!"

Hana grimaced.

"Gai! I smell more of them approaching! But these ones smell different, even more powerful!"

Gai frowned.

_At this rate, I may need the gates..._

"Here they come!"

Everyone was surprised, however, when an arrow shot out of the bushes, killing one of the creatures that was about to flank Shikamaru. A woman in fur clothes with metal shoulder pads and gauntlets, face paint, and a bow leaped out of the forest. She grabbed three arrows and pulled back her bow, letting loose. The shinobi swore her arrows curved around them as the flew and struck three of the creatures. One of them turned and charged towards her. She pulled out an arrow and deftly rolled under the creature's swing, stabbing it in the knee and she rolled passed and then running up its back, shooting it in the neck and leaping off. The shinobi, though stunned, quickly resumed their fighting as well. As they did, two men in steel armor shunshin-ed next to them, greatswords in hand, and started cutting down the creatures.

Gai gave a thumbs up to his team.

"Yosh! Good work everyone! I knew you could do it!"

His teeth shone, then he chuckled.

"Well Hana, I guess sometimes even your nose is wrong."

Hana frowned.

"I wasn't..."

The woman walked up to them.

"You handle yourselves well. Few can survive a pack of werewolves."

Shikamaru and Hana gasped and looked at each other.

"Is that what we're fighting?"

The woman nodded.

"We were tracking this pack for a while now. It was fortunate you happened by, you bloodied them well."

Suddenly the three stopped moving.

"Kage mane no jutsu, success."

Lee turned in shock.

"Shikamaru-san, what are you doing?"

Shikamaru grunted.

"Guys, remember what werewolf tales say? Werewolves are transformed people, and these three smell enough like werewolves that Hana thought they were part of the enemy."

Lee and Gai turned back to the three, wide-eyed. The woman closed her eyes.

"Seems you have a sharp mind and a sharp nose on your team. Yes, we are also werewolves. But unlike these poor sods, we can control our inner beasts. And we did just save your lives."

Gai turned back.

"She's right, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru looked in shock.

"Gai! We can't trust her!"

Gai gave him a thumbs up.

"If she wanted to kill us she just needed to wait. Besides, look how many we fought! We're youthful enough to handle three of them!"

Shikamaru frowned, but released the jutsu. The woman nodded, walked forward and extended her hand to Gai.

"I'm Aela. This is Vilkas, and the dumb-looking one is Farkas."

Gai shook her hand.

"Maito Gai! Handsome green devil of Konoha! I'm pleased to meet such a youthful fighter!"

Aela nodded.

"Honored as well. But I believe you had another companion."

Gai and Lee jumped in fright and shock.

"That's right! Hinata!"

Hana and Shikamaru grabbed the pair before they leaped off the cliff themselves. Aela pointed her head in another direction.

"Come on, we know a way down."

As the group rushed off, Reijiro smiled.

_Werewolves? That might complicate things, but luckily they smell so strong that Inuzuka can't seem to detect me. And the Hyūga's all alone now!_

-Hi no Kuni-

Kakashi, Serana, and Tenten walked up the trail they found on the mountain. As they neared the top they found an entrance to some old ruins, on top of which was a statue. Tenten jumped as a voice rang in her head.

"_**Look at my temple, lying in ruins. So much for the constancy of mortals, their crafts, and their hearts. If they love me not, how can my love reach them? Return my beacon to the statue."**_

Kakashi and Serana turned.

"Something happen, Tenten?"

Tenten nodded.

"The voice again, it wants me to put the beacon at the statue."

The three walked up some stairs to the statue. Kakashi stopped.

"Well Serana?"

Serana nodded.

"As I expected, a Daedric Prince."

Kakashi and Tenten turned to her, curious.

"They're powerful beings who live in a different dimension called Oblivion. Some people worship them as deities. They can grant people great power, but most of them can't be trusted. Looks like this is Meridia's temple."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"Do you know this Meridia?"

Serana nodded.

"Meridia's one of the few Daedric Princes considered benevolent, or at least not inherently evil. If you're living that is."

Tenten tilted her head.

"Living?"

Serana nodded again.

"Each Daedric Prince embodies some quality or has some obsession. Meridia hates the undead: vampires, draugr, reanimated bodies, skeletons, you name it. Her word can be trusted…but it wouldn't be wise for me to enter her temple. I won't be able to help you in there."

Kakashi turned to Tenten.

"Well, Tenten? You're the one Meridia called."

Tenten thought for a moment.

"Well, can't hurt to see what she wants, right?"

Kakashi sighed.

_And that's how we found Serana's family. Sorry Hokage-sama._

Tenten approached the statue and placed the beacon there. She gasped as she found herself floating into the air. She stopped, high above the world, and squinted as a bright ball of light appeared in front of her.

"_**It is time for my splendor to return. But the token of my truth lies buried in the ruins of my once great temple, now tainted by a profane darkness skittering within. A Necromancer**__** defiles my shrine with vile corruptions, trapping lost souls to do his bidding. Worse still, he uses the power stored within my own token to fuel his foul deeds. I have brought you here, mortal, to be my champion. You will enter my temple, retrieve my artifact, and destroy the defiler. Guide my light through the temple to open the inner sanctum and destroy the defiler."**_

Tenten found herself floating back down…

"Tenten, are you all right?"

Tenten opened her eyes and found herself back on the ground.

"You blanked out for a bit, what happened?"

Tenten blinked.

"I…I think Meridia spoke to me. She says someone's trapping dead souls inside the temple. She wants me to kill him."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

"Normally I'd be skeptical, but with recent events I'll accept it. This sounds extremely dangerous, it might be better to wait for reinforcements and come back later."

Tenten shook her head.

"I feel like I shouldn't let this wait, and if someone's really using dead souls his army will only grow, right? We should do something now."

Kakashi sighed and Serana nodded.

"I'll wait outside."

The three walked down to the front gate. Tenten stopped, gulped, and took a step in. Once she did, the doors immediately shut behind her.

-Several weapon strikes and an explosive tag later-

Tenten sighed.

_Well, I guess I'm on my own now…_

Tenten turned and walked down a flight of stairs. There was a dead shinobi lying there, and several more in the hallway in front. Tenten took a deep breath and ventured forward. She came to a large room with a pedestal. She approached the pedestal and found a lever. As she pulled it, a large crystal rose out of the pedestal, and a beam of light appeared, hitting and being reflected by it. The light pointed to another hallway.

Tenten walked down the hallway and stopped at the entrance. Inside were several…creatures. They were skeletons, but missing legs and floating in the air, surrounded by black mist.

_What are these things? Would my weapons even work on them?_

Tenten noticed they were holding weapons. She squinted her eyes.

_Well…those kunai look real. I guess that means they're physical…here goes…_

Tenten tossed several kunai in rapid succession. The creatures were struck in the head, and dissipated.

_Wow easier than I thought!_

Tenten found another pedestal, activated it, and continued into the ruins…

-Shimo no Kuni-

Hinata groaned as she lifted herself up. Thankfully she had landed on top of the werewolf, who had died mid-flight from her jūken strike.

_Ow…everything hurts…I hope the others find me soon…_

"Good, you're alive."

Hinata looked up, her eyes widening in fear. In front of her was a shinobi from Kumogakure! He pulled out a kunai and held it up.

"I'm sorry, but for the good of my village you're coming with me. Cooperate and I promise I won't hurt you."

Hinata shut her eyes.

_Why?! Why always me?! _

She thought of her village, her friends she would never see again. She thought of Naruto, tears in her eyes. Then she stopped.

_N-No! _

"No…NO! **YOU WON'T TAKE ME FROM HIM!"**

Her vision started to grow red and she felt a rage growing in her. She could feel it in every inch of her body. The Kumo shinobi took a step back.

"Wha…What are you?!"

* * *

><p>Team Gai raced down through the forest.<p>

"Come on…she fell this way!"

Hana's nose twitched.

"Wait!"

As Hana spoke, a kunai with an explosive tag shot forward. The shinobi and their companions jumped back just in time. As the smoke cleared they found themselves confronted by seven Kumo-nin. Gai frowned.

"What do you think you're doing? Kumo has no right to interfere with a Konoha mission here."

The Kumo –nin in the center chuckled.

"Maybe. But you have someone we want."

Gai's eyes narrowed and he got into his signature taijutsu stance.

"You won't stop us from reaching her."

The shinobi chuckled again.

"We don't have to. Our boss is picking her up now. And one Hyūga genin is no match for a Kumo jōnin. We only need to stop you."

Suddenly Shikamaru started groaning. Aela shouted at the Konoha shinobi.

"Get back! He's turning! He's going to attack anything in sight!"

Gai wasn't sure what she was saying but he complied and leaped behind Shikamaru. Shikamaru lurched forward, his body growing, fur appearing. His clothes seemed to melt into the fur as he grew, his face becoming wolf-like. He through his head and arms back and let out a roar. The Kumo-nin hesitated for a moment.

As they recovered, Shikamaru appeared in front of the first one and tore out his throat. The others grit their teeth and charged at him. Shikamaru was too fast for them, however, and tore two to shreds. Another threw a kunai at him. He roared in pain, then turned and pounced on the shinobi, mercilessly shredding at him. The other shinobi quickly retreated. Gai nodded at Lee.

"Come on!"

Gai and Lee appeared to either side of Shikamaru, holding on to his arms.

"We got to restrain him!"

Lee and Gai flinched as Shikamaru roared.

"He's so strong!"

"Lee, use the gates!"

Both Lee and Gai grunted.

"Initial gate, open!"

Shikamaru's muscles bulged. Lee and Gai let out yells and held with all their might. After several tense minutes Shikamaru's resistance waned. His body began shrinking back down, the fur receding and his clothes appearing from underneath. He curled on the ground…asleep. The group had no time to wait, though, as they heard another roar and a scream.

"Come on!"

Gai's team arrived in the clearing. They saw the dead body of a werewolf, and of the Kumo jōnin, or rather what was left of him. They noticed a path of destroyed trees. They followed it for a while until they found Hinata, curled up unconscious on the ground like Shikamaru. Aela went over to her.

"There's no doubt…she turned too. I assume they were injured a few days ago?"

Gai nodded. Aela turned to Farkas. Farkas walked over and picked up Hinata, while Vilkas was carrying Shikamaru.

"Come with us."

-Meridia's Temple-

Tenten panted as she destroyed the last shade in the room with a naginata. She sealed it away and activated the pedestal. A large door opened. She crouched and walked forward slowly. Through the door she could see someone performing some sort of ritual, with eight shades guarding him. She unsealed two handfuls of kunai.

_Looks like this is it!_

Tenten released her volley, taking out all the shades and striking the man in the head. He fell over as his shades dissipated.

"Well, that was easy!"

Tenten gasped however, as a shade rose out of the man's body.

"_**Foolish girl! You think I'd be defeated so easily! Die!"**_

The shade lifted a hand and a huge ball of ice shot at Tenten. She gasped and jumped out of the way, quickly unsealing a naginata to block two spikes of ice that followed. She pulled out two scrolls and leaped into the air, scrolls spiraling around her.

"Sōshōryū! (Twin Rising Dragons)"

Tenten began unsealing and throwing countless weapons at the shadow. It held forward its hands and began an equally rapid fire barrage of ice spikes. The spikes and the weapons collided in between them, leaving the two deadlocked. Tenten grimaced.

_I'm going to run out soon, I can't keep this up…_

In between her attacks she through a kunai in a seemingly random direction, and a second one after it. The kunai collided and the first one shot down, directly at the shade's head. The shade laughed and moved to the right.

"_**You thought such a weak attack would defeat me?**_"

Tenten smirked. The shade hadn't noticed the explosive tag on the kunai, and was engulfed in an explosion. It stumbled back for a second, dropping its barrage. As it did, Tenten struck it with all the weapons she had left and then lifted the weapons on floor with strings for a second attack. The shade roared in pain, and dissipated.

_**"It is done. The defiler is defeated. Take**__** Dawnbreaker **__**from its pedestal."**_

Tenten let out a sigh as she collected and resealed her weapons. She then walked over to the pedestal where the man had been performing a ritual. This time when she turned the lever, a sword rose instead of a crystal, shining in the light. Tenten hesitated for a moment, and then slowly reached for the sword. She grabbed the handle, pulled it from the pedestal, and was engulfed in light.

* * *

><p>Tenten gasped as she found herself floating high above the temple once more, a bright ball of light in front of her.<p>

_**"The defiler is vanquished. The dead shall remain at rest. This is as it should be. This is because of you. A new day is dawning. And you shall be its herald. Take the mighty Dawnbreaker and with it purge corruption from the dark corners of the world. Wield it in my name, that my influence may grow."**_

Tenten looked surprised.

"You mean, just take this sword and use it?"

"_**Yes. As you use it to purge corruption from the world, my influence will grow. May the light of certitude guide your efforts."**_

Tenten began falling and was engulfed in light.

* * *

><p>She found herself in front of the statue. She quickly ran down to the entrance. There Kakashi was pacing back and forth.<p>

"Kakashi-sensei! Serana!"

"Tenten! You're alright!"

Tenten smiled as her companions ran up to her.

"Better than alright! Look what I got!"

Tenten held up Dawnbreaker for the two to see. Kakashi unveiled his Sharingan. He gasped.

"This weapon…I've never seen anything like it."

Tenten beamed. Kakashi turned to Serana as he covered his eye.

"It's a Daedric Artifact. A physical manifestation of their power. It's an extremely powerful weapon, as it's Meridia's artifact I'd imagine it's extremely effective against the undead. Normally I'd warn you about the effects of using a Daedric Artifact, but Meridia can be trusted."

Tenten tried not to squeal like a little fangirl as she hugged her new, legendary, immensely powerful weapon. Kakashi and Serana sweat-dropped and then Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.

_Whew, we discovered another ancient legend but this time it isn't a threat_.

"Well, we should probably get back then. Hokage-sama will be waiting for my report."

-Shimo no Kuni-

Aela led the group to a small mountain, on top of which the group could see the fires of a forge. She walked to the wall of the mountain and pressed a hidden panel, revealing a hidden door.

"Come on."

Everyone walked down into a small cave with a basin in the middle.

"That forge and this cave are some of the oldest structures in the world. Much older than shinobi. We discovered an ancient power here."

Hinata and Shikamaru groaned and stirred.

"Good, they're coming to."

Shikamaru yawned while Hinata looked around.

"Where am I? What happened?"

Gai put his hands on her shoulder.

"Easy Hinata. You're with friends."

Hinata relaxed at Gai's presence. He nodded at Aela.

"You two have become werewolves. Unfortunately you are infected with the same strain as those poor sods. Your transformations will be sporadic at first, but you'll never predict when they will occur. They will grow more and more common, until eventually the beast inside you takes over."

Everyone gasped. Hinata raised her hands to her mouth, eyes quivering while Shikamaru grit his teeth.

"Is there a cure?"

Aela nodded.

"There is one thing we can do."

She nodded at Farkas. Farkas lurched forward, and started growing. Gai and Lee jumped into taijutsu stances as Farkas turned into a werewolf, but were surprised when he made no move to attack.

"The Underforge here grants us a stronger form of lycanthropy. We can control when and where we transform, and can control ourselves even in beast form. If we replace your lycanthropy with ours, you'll be able to control it, but will retain the considerable power it gives."

Gai looked thoughtfully at Hinata and Shikamaru.

_I can't say I'm comfortable with leaving them like that, but it's true that it's a powerful tool. Little Hinata killed a jōnin, and even Shikamaru forced Lee and I to use the gates to restrain him_.

Shikamaru thought as well.

"Are there any downsides?"

Aela shook her head.

"You'll have trouble sleeping, though your body won't need as much sleep so it won't impact your strength. A minor inconvenience at most, another advantage for some."

Gai chuckled as Shikamaru groaned.

_Minor inconvenience for some, the end of life for Shikamaru._

Aela walked over to Farkas and cut his wrist with a knife. She held it over the basin and it filled with blood. She motioned to Shikamaru and Hinata, who both hesitantly walked to the basin. They gulped, and took a sip of the blood.

"Um, did it work?"

Aela nodded.

"Normally this would be your first transformation, the only one you can't control. However, you two have already experienced yours, so you won't do so again. If you'd like to test it, you can try to consciously transform."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome, but I guess we need to test it."

He lurched forward and began transforming. Lee and Gai prepared themselves to restrain him, but after transforming he curled up in a ball and tried to nap. Gai shook his head happily.

"It was a success!"

Aela nodded.

"Now, have any more of you received injuries in the previous battle? It's not guaranteed you were infected, but better safe than sorry."

The other shinobi looked at each other. Lee stepped forward. Gai's eyes widened.

"Lee, you..?"

Lee looked down.

"I am sorry, Gai-sensei. I allowed myself to be distracted when Hinata-san fell."

Gai gave Lee a hug.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Lee."

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

Aela looked at Hana.

"Do they do that often?"

Hana nodded grimly.

"Far too often."

Lee stepped up to the basin. Aela motioned and Vilkas walked over and opened the door.

"You will definitely transform after this. We're going to let you into the forest; it would be dangerous to us to try and restrain you. We'll keep track of you and find you after it's over."

Gai nodded grimly.

_If little Hinata and lazy Shikamaru gained power to equal a jōnin, what will my precious Lee be like?_

Lee took a sip and fell to his knees, coughing.

"Lee!"

Gai moved to help but Aela blocked him. Lee began transforming, and ran out of the door, Vilkas following from a distance. Everyone turned back to Aela.

"Anyone else?"

Hana stepped forward.

"Hana, you too?"

Hana shook her head.

"I wasn't injured but…"

She turned to Gai.

"Come on Gai! You've seen what they can do! This power is perfect for my clan! I've got to show them!"

Gai shook his head, chuckling.

"Well, I can't argue your clan isn't suited for it. All right."

Hana took a drink and began transforming. Aela led the shinobi out of the door as they chased after her.

-Unknown-

A man in a black robe and a spiral mask stood over a white body with green hair. As he did, a figure rose from the floor. It was half black, half white, with a giant venus flytrap around its head.

"Well?"

The figure from the floor shook its head.

"Shukaku hasn't regenerated yet."

The masked man's visible eye narrowed.

"Strange, it should have by now. Anything else?"

The figure nodded.

"Most of the villages are preoccupied with the dragon attacks. In addition, the Kyūbi jinchūriki is traveling with Jiraiya in the direction of Iwa."

The masked man looked up.

"Interesting, but we aren't ready for the Kyūbi and Jiraiya's a force to be reckoned with. Observe for now and report to me any opportunities to move on the others."

The figure melted into the floor.

_Dragons eh? With such a distraction, the world is ours for the taking!_


	10. Fos nii seik wah kos Dovahkiin

Author's note:

I'm not sure I'm happy with how the College appears (btw the College appears in this one), but w/e I don't feel like rewriting it haha. They're a side plot for now in any case, though I'm sure Konoha will be interested in their lore.

As for Tenten doing Meridia's will with vampires in the village, well in Skyrim Meridia says that simply using the sword as you please is 'doing her will' even if you say you're explicitly not going to do her will. Meridia doesn't give specific instructions after the quest, though she would certainly want Tenten to kill her teammates it's not like she's going to assume direct control of Tenten and force her to do it. And she can't really be picky, given she's fallen completely out of the view of mortals, so she just wants her influence spread. And also, Dawnbreaker is also effective against the living if not as much, and I will be taking liberties to make it worthy of a Daedric Artifact when not subject to the constraints of balanced and challenging gameplay.

Thieves guild I hadn't thought of yet, but it could work. We already know there is organized crime outside of the villages. Not sure how big of a role they would play in this story though. Though Noctural could come into it, nightingales and stuff. Legendary bows...well we did start the Dawnguard questline. We just need to read an Elder Scroll to continue it...though I have an idea on that. Just waiting for a good time to continue that questline...the dragon stuff is just picking up and Serana needs a reasonable amount of time to be considered a fully effective ninja.

-Chapter 10: Fos nii seik wah kos Dovahkiin (What it means to be Dragonborn)-

-Elsewhere in Shimo no Kuni-

Sakura shivered and rubbed her arms.

_**Cha! Why did this mission have to be on a mountain in Shimo no kuni?**_

Sakura brooded over her bad luck. First, a mission with Gai-sensei, and all the sweating and pain that resulted. Now a mission on an uncharacteristically cold mountain. Sakura stared incredulously as Shino walked around, apparently completely unaffected, in his normal attire.

"A-Aren't you c-cold, Shino?"

Shino shook his head.

"My vampire blood is immune to cold."

Sakura shook her head and kept walking. Kurenai stopped as they reached to top of the hill.

"There it is, a small, snow-covered village with a large stone fortress. Let's go."

* * *

><p>The team walked into town. An old man came to greet them.<p>

"Ah, you must be the group from Konoha! Welcome, welcome!"

Kurenai bowed.

"Thank you. We understand you have some strange reports you wanted us to investigate?"

The man nodded and pointed to the large fortress.

"You'll have to ask the College about that."

Sakura tilted her head.

"W-What's the College?"

The old man looked up.

"Oh, the College's been here as long as anyone can remember. You'll have to ask them."

The team walked through the town. As they approached the bridge leading to the fortress, a woman in a robe stood in their path.

"Ah, you must be the group from Konoha. Mirabelle, pleased to meet you. Would you follow me?"

Kurenai bowed.

"Kurenai. I haven't heard of your college. What is it you study here?"

Mirabelle nodded.

"An often asked question. This College is special. We are dedicated to the theoretical study of jutsu, and the study of magicka."

Everyone tilted their head.

"Magicka?"

Mirabelle nodded.

"Few remember it, but magicka is the predecessor to chakra. It uses only your spiritual and not your physical energy, so you can't die from overuse and it regenerates much faster."

Sakura gasped.

"Wow it sounds really powerful!"

Mirabelle shook her head.

"Just the opposite. It's less powerful than chakra, and because it doesn't draw from physical energy it's not as effective at boosting ones physical capabilities. In addition, mistakes with chakra simply cause your jutsu to fail, or use more chakra than necessary. Mistakes with magicka can have far more severe consequences; as such using magicka requires near perfect control, high intelligence, and a great deal of study. As such, most of the world prefers chakra, which is more practical. In fact, because of the difficulty in replacing a fallen mage, magicka fell out of use even before chakra was invented."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Then why study it?"

Mirabelle nodded.

"We here are not interested in the practical aspects. We have more of an academic, theoretical interest. As chakra's predecessor and purely spiritual energy, studying magicka can give greater insight into how to shape chakra. Also, there were several techniques with magicka that have not been replicated with chakra. Ah here we are."

Mirabelle led them through the gates of the fortress and down the center to a large circular building. Sakura looked with interest at young students shooting blasts of fire. They approached a man at a desk.

"Phinis, this is the group we requested."

Phinis looked up from his work.

"Ah, you must be the shinobi from Konoha. Pleased to meet you."

Mirabelle turned to Kurenai.

"Phinis can explain the situation. I will be attending to other duties, but feel free to speak with me if you need to."

Kurenai nodded as Mirabelle left.

"So what is the situation?"

Phinis scratched his head.

"Well, one of my experiments seems to have gone awry, and raised the dead in a local cemetery."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"You raised the dead?"

Phinis looked at them curiously.

"This time was not intentional, a slight miscalculation on my part."

Sakura's eyes got even wider.

"This time?"

Phinis nodded.

"I am the College's expert in conjuration and necromancy, such things are common here. Though, they are not so easily accepted by the population."

Kurenai grunted.

"Well I don't like it but we did take the job. What do you need us to do?"

Phinis leaned back.

"Dispose of them, of course."

Sakura deadpanned.

"You want us to fight the dead?"

Phinis nodded.

"There's no shinobi buried there. They should be no match for you. Here's a map to the location. Off you go now."

* * *

><p>Team Kurenai walked back into the College. As Phinis expected, the undead were no match for the shinobi, who quickly dispatched them. As they approached Phinis, Sakura caught sight of Mirabelle.<p>

"Um, hello."

Mirabelle turned to the genin.

"Hello, did you need something?"

Sakura looked down.

"I um, was wondering if I could learn some magicka?"

Mirabelle raised an eyebrow.

"I'm curious, why is a shinobi like you is interested in learning magicka?"

Sakura nodded.

"Well, you said magicka isn't connected to your physical energy and regenerates quickly. My sensei says I have excellent chakra control, but I don't have a lot of stamina. And I'm a quick study."

Mirabelle nodded.

"I see, so you hope to exploit your strengths and cover your weaknesses by learning magicka instead of ninjutsu. I'll warn you though: magicka takes a while to learn. Time I imagine a shinobi like you can't afford. Don't expect to be shooting fireballs soon. I can sell you a few beginner books to help you get started in your spare time. Read up on them, but don't attempt to try anything until you can return and speak with us again."

Sakura nodded and pulled out her wallet.

"Thank you! Um, I think there may be someone in our village who knows something about magicka."

Mirabelle raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Well, you may do as you wish, but realize we are not responsible for any consequences that result. Here is the introductory text on magicka, as well as a few spellbooks for novices. Please try not to set yourself on fire. We aren't well known, but we'd still like to avoid gaining a bad reputation."

-Hokage's Office-

Sandaime sighed as he read the latest reports. It seemed every nation other than Hi no Kuni was having trouble against the dragon attacks. Iwa and Kumo were hit particularly hard. Konoha was succeeding but most of Hi no Kuni hadn't been attacked yet, and Konoha had the most manpower of any village. Of course, there was no report from Kiri so it wasn't clear what was happening in Mizu no Kuni.

Just then Kakashi stepped into the room.

"Kakashi, I don't like that look on your face. What happened?"

Kakashi looked down.

"Well...sorry Hokage-sama...we seemed to have discovered another ancient legend."

The Hokage let out a deep sigh. But then Kakashi looked up smiling and gave him a thumbs up.

"Tenten is now the wielder of an ancient and extremely powerful weapon!"

Kakashi went through the details of the mission. Sandaime let out a huge sigh of relief and then a vein bulged in his head.

"Kakashi, don't ever scare me like that again! I was half-convinced your squad members were transformed into some other kind of monster."

Just then Gai burst into the room, panting and sweating, as was normal when Gai returned from missions.

"Ah Gai, quick as always. How did it go?"

Gai's face, however, was uncharacteristically serious and grim.

"Hokage-sama, my squad members, they're...they're..."

The Hokage gulped.

"What happened, Gai?"

Gai closed his eyes and grimaced.

"They've all become werewolves!"

Sandaime stared at Gai for a second, then slumped back into his chair and sighed.

"A village full of teenage vampires and now werewolves. This is just like that horrible fantasy romance novel I stopped Jiraiya from publishing."

He shuttered at the memory.

"Well Gai, you better explain more fully. Should I be worried?"

Gai shook his head.

"Fortunately we were aided by a group of older werewolves, who taught them how to control the transformations and control themselves while transformed. Beyond trouble sleeping, they don't seem to suffer any major side effects. Hana insisted that she be allowed to show her clan."

The Hokage chuckled at that.

_Well, they have jutsu to transform into dogs anyways..._

"I'm glad to hear that. It doesn't sound as troubling as the last transformation."

Kakashi nodded and smiled.

"If they can control it, perhaps it may even be an asset to the village."

The Hokage let out a puff of smoke.

"Perhaps, but the existence of werewolves is a more serious issue. Should we be worried, Gai?"

Gai shook his head.

"Our friends said they've grown extremely rare, and they themselves have taken to hunting down any who can't control themselves."

Sandaime breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Gai. As usual, you can turn in your full mission reports later. You both are dismissed."

-Team 8 training field, evening-

Kurenai watched as her team approached. Shino was first to arrive, followed by Kiba. Kiba's nose twitched as Hinata approached.

"Whoa, Hinata, you smell way different!"

Hinata looked down. So much for hoping they wouldn't notice.

"Well, something happened on the last mission..."

Shino raised an eyebrow.

_She's not stuttering anymore either..._

Kurenai looked worried.

"What happened, Hinata? You can tell us."

Kiba deadpanned and pointed back at Shino.

"Yea, after Mr. Vampire over there I don't think anything can faze us."

Hinata nodded, encouraged.

"Well, I'm a werewolf now."

Shino raised his eyebrow higher while Kiba and Kurenai gasped.

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

-Team Gai training field-

Lee kicked the air.

"At first I was worried about this, Gai-sensei, but..."

He continued through his form.

"I feel full of youthful energy!"

Gai put on a serious face.

"Lee! Listen up!"

Lee stopped his shadow-boxing and stood in front of Gai, ready to take notes.

"After we tell your teammates, I'm labeling this another forbidden jutsu! You are only to use it in a life or death situation, or to protect a comrade! Am I clear?"

Lee saluted.

"Yosh!"

Gai smiled.

"Good, here come our comrades!"

Neji walked over, stoic as always. Tenten ran up to her team, very excited.

"Hi guys! You'll never guess what I found on my mission!"

Gai and Lee looked surprised.

"What is it, Tenten?"

Tenten pulled out a scroll. She unsealed a sword and held it high in the air. Her teammates shielded their eyes as it shone and brightened the area.

"Neat huh? It's called Dawnbreaker, it's a really powerful sword that I was chosen to wield!"

Lee gave her a nice-guy pose.

"Yosh! That is most excellent, Tenten-san! I'm most excited for you!"

Gai also gave her a nice-guy pose.

"As am I! Just remember..."

Gai stepped over to Tenten and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"True power doesn't come from your weapons, but from the youthful desire to protect your comrades and from hard work!"

Lee saluted.

"Yosh! Truly you are a wonderful sensei, Gai-sensei!"

Gai turned to his pupil, tears in his eyes.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Tenten and Neji sweat-dropped.

"Anyways...how was your mission, Neji?"

Neji shrugged.

"Fine. We succeeded, though Kiba was a bit uncomfortable around me."

_And understandably so, given how I've treated his teammate..._

Tenten turned to her sensei and teammate, who had finished hugging.

"How about you guys?"

Lee kicked in the air.

"It was most exciting! We fought a whole pack of werewolves, though I was accidentally turned into one!"

Tenten and Neji were wide-eyed.

"Wait, what?!"

Gai nodded.

"It's true. They were quite a vicious foe! But Lee, along with Hinata, Shikamaru, and Hana, have gained their fearsome power, and will use it to protect Konoha!"

Neji shook his head, and thanked Kami for the relatively unexciting missions he had received up till now.

-Team 10 meeting place-

Ino arrived at their meeting place, and to her surprise found Shikamaru leaning against a tree, wide awake.

"Hi Shikamaru! This is weird; I thought you'd be off napping somewhere."

She swore she saw a tear well up in Shikamaru's eye. He yawned. Ino got a glint in her eye.

"Gai and Lee didn't rub their youth off on you, did they?"

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Troublesome..."

Asuma and Chōji strolled into the area.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Ino waved.

"Hi! We completed our mission, easy! How about you guys?"

Chōji nodded.

"Yea, it was pretty easy! How about you, Shikamaru?"

Shikamaru yawned.

"It was pretty troublesome..."

Team 10 looked worried.

"What do you mean?"

Shikamaru grunted.

"Well we finished the mission, but I guess I'm a werewolf now or something."

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

Ino jumped back in shock. Chōji's eyes widened.

"Whoa, so you can transform into a wolf now?"

Shikamaru nodded.

"That's pretty cool! Any downsides?"

Shikamaru looked down.

"It makes it hard to sleep, which is pretty troublesome..."

Chōji laughed.

"Yea, I bet that's terrible for you!"

They turned and saw Ino looking away, stormclouds over her head.

"It's not fair...that would be so much better than being an icky vampire..."

Shikamaru sighed.

"Well would you want to smell like a dog all day? And isn't Sasuke a vampire too?"

Ino quicky turned around, happy as ever.

"Anyways that's a pretty cool ability Shikamaru! I have some perfumes that might be able to help with that smell..."

Asuma and Chōji laughed as Ino tried to wave the smell away from her nose and Shikamaru sighed.

-Iwagakure-

Ōnoki grunted. The dragon attacks were growing more and more frequent and hitting bigger targets every day.

"Send Han and Rōshi!"

The kunoichi in front of him balked.

"But Grandpa, that will leave us almost defenseless!"

Ōnoki smashed his fist on the table.

"They haven't dared attack here yet. And I won't stand by while these dragons burn my country! Send them out!"

-Town in Kaminari no Kuni-

"It's coming around again!"

The Kumo-nin grunted as he tried to lift his wounded comrade, his other squad members throwing kunai at the approaching dragon.

_We weren't ready for this…there's nothing we can do_

The dragon took a breath, preparing to freeze the Kumo-nin solid. As it released its deadly breath, a blast of blue fire blocked the attack. With that, a giant cat made of blue fire jumped on top of a building and then pounced on the approaching dragon. The dragon roared as it crashed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust. The Kumo-nin tried to peer into the dust cloud as they heard roars. As the dust cloud settled, they saw a blonde kunoichi walking away from the body of the dragon.

"Yugito-san!"

Yugito approached the Kumo-nin.

"The attacks are more serious, Raikage-sama gave me permission to leave the village to assist. You two get back to the village and seek medical attention, the rest of you come with me; we have a patrol to finish."

-Village in Takigakure-

Fū flew in the air with butterfly wings at the dragon wheeling around. She made some handsigns as the dragon prepared a fire breath.

"Hiden: Rinpungakure no Jutsu! (Hidden Technique: Scaled Sneak Jutsu)"

The dragon blinked as blinding light came from Fū's mouth, giving her time to roll out of the way of the fire blast.

On the ground several Taki-nin helped the villagers evacuate.

"Who is that?"

One of the civilians pointed up.

"That's Fū, our jinchūriki. So far she's the only one in the village strong enough to fight one of those monsters."

Fū's eyes narrowed.

_Even explosive tags aren't working on this one, I need more power_

Fū closed her eyes. Red, bubbling chakra began surrounding her, forming a cloak. As the dragon wheeled around for another attack, Fū reached her hand out. A hand of red chakra shot forward and grabbed the dragon by the neck.

"HA!"

The civilians and shinobi covered their eyes as dust surged forward from where the dragon was slammed into the ground.

-Hokage's Office-

An ANBU shunshined into the room, bowing.

"Hokage-sama!"

Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"Yes, what is the situation?"

"Dragon attacks are increasing in both scope and size, though no village has been directly attacked yet. Suna is having trouble handling the numerous attacks. Iwa, Kumo, and Taki have started using jinchūriki against the dragons, and are beginning to stabilize. No word on Kiri. Our own forces are stable."

Sandaime nodded.

_Jinchūriki? They must be getting desperate; perhaps they will listen to my offer_._ In any case, I hope Jiraiya returns soon._

"Very good. Report any new developments. Prepare a detachment to offer assistance to Suna if necessary."

-Somewhere in Tsuchi no Kuni-

Naruto, hair dyed brown, yawned as they walked up the stairs.

"Are we almost there yet?"

Jiraiya turned around, angry.

"Would you stop that already! We'll get there when we get there."

Naruto sighed and looked off the mountain. At least the view was nice.

After a great many stairs later, they came upon a temple.

"This must be it. Let's go."

The three shinobi entered the temple. As they did, several robed and hooded figure came to greet them.

"So, a dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age."

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow as Naruto stepped forward.

"You call him dragonborn, what does that mean?

The man shook his head and turned to Naruto.

"First, we will see if you truly are dragonborn. Show us, Dragonborn, let us have a taste of your Voice."

Naruto just stared blankly at them.

"Jiraiya, what do they mean?"

Jiraiya sighed at his dense apprentice.

"Probably your secret dragon jutsu."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"Oh, ok! **FUS!**"

The robed figures stumbled back.

"Dragonborn, it _is_ you. Welcome to High Hrothgar. I am Master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. Now tell me, Dragonborn, why have you come here?"

Naruto scratched his head.

"Um, well I want to know what a dragonborn is, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Indeed, what exactly is a dragonborn?"

Arngeir nodded.

"Yes, the legend has long since passed from common mind. A dragonborn is one born with the body of a mortal but the soul of a dragon. This gives you an innate ability to learn Words of Power."

Naruto stared blankly.

"Word of Power?"

Jiraiya whispered in his ear.

"Secret dragon jutsu."

Naruto jumped as the epiphany hit him.

"Oh right! I knew that, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya shook his head.

"So what are these Words of Power?"

Arngeir motioned.

"Why don't we take a seat? I imagine you have many more questions. You may want to read this book."

Arngeir passed Jiraiya a book.

"Thank you, what are you going to do?"

Arngeir stood up and turned to Naruto.

"Without training, you've already taken your first steps towards projecting your voice into a Thu'um. Now we will see if you have the discipline and temperance needed to follow the path laid out before us."

Jiraiya deadpanned.

_Discipline? Temperance? Clearly you don't know who you're talking to…_

Arngeir brought Naruto into the center of the initial area.

"Now let us see if you are willing and able to learn. When you Shout, you speak in the language of dragons. Thus, your dragon blood gives you an innate ability to learn Words of Power."

Naruto looked excited.

"So I've been speaking in dragon?!"

Arngeir nodded.

"Yes…"

Naruto jumped around.

"THAT'S SO AWESOME, dattebayo."

Arngeir sighed. Jiraiya reached out and grabbed Naruto, stopping him.

"Ahem, yes all Shouts are made of three Words of Power. As you master each Word, your Shout will grow progressively stronger. Master Einarth will teach you 'Ro,' the second word in Unrelenting Force. Ro means 'balance' in the dragon tongue. Combine it with 'Fus' to focus your Thu'um more sharply."

Einarth stepped forward, and whispered 'Ro.' A small blast of energy shot from his mouth, carving 'Ro' into the floor in the ancient dragon language. Naruto peered at the word.

"So Ro…balance right?"

Arngeir nodded. Naruto's pronunciation was perfect.

"You learn a new word like a master, you truly do have the gift."

Jiraiya looked up from the book and coughed.

"That's a first."

Naruto glared at him.

"But learning a Word of Power is only the first step. You must unlock its meaning through constant practice in order to use it in a Shout. Well that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly. As part of your initiation, Master Einarth will grant you his knowledge of Ro."

Einarth spread his arms and Naruto saw some sort of energy flow towards him. His eyes widened as something clicked in his mind.

The Greybeards cleared an area in the middle.

"Now let us see how quickly you can master your new Thu'um. Strike the targets as they appear with your Unrelenting Force Shout."

Naruto turned back to Jiraiya, eyes blank. Jiraiya sighed.

"Use your secret dragon jutsu, 'fus ro' or something."

Naruto grinned and nodded. One of the Greybeards stepped forward.

"**FIIK…LO SAH!**"

A transparent blue Greybeard appeared in the center. Naruto took a breath.

"**FUS…RO!**"

Naruto's Thu'um struck the clone, which took a step back and faded away.

"Very good, again."

"**FIIK…LO SAH!**"

"**FUS…RO!**"

Arngeir nodded.

"Once more."

"**FIIK…LO SAH!**"

"**FUS…RO!**"

Arngeir nodded.

"Impressive. Your thu'um is precise. You show great promise, Dragonborn. We will perform your next trial in the courtyard. Follow Master Borri."

Jiraiya stood and followed the group, eyes still in the book.

"Hm…."

-Elsewhere in Tsuchi no Kuni-

Han let the red chakra cloak fade as the dragon died, a few Iwa-nin watching in awe. He narrowed his eyes as he felt a strong presence. He quickly jumped as a clay bird exploded at his former location.

"Deidara…what are you doing here?"

A large clay bird descended, Deidara riding it.

"What does it look like? Capturing you, hm."

"Don't waste time chatting, Deidara. Just capture the jinchūriki already"

A hunched figure approached from behind some rocks. One of the Iwa-nin gasped.

"Wait, aren't you Akatsuki? Why are you attacking us, aren't we allies?"

Deidara chuckled.

"Allies? With weaklings like you, hm? We just wanted that old fool's money!"

The Iwa-nin grit their teeth and leaped in front of Han.

"Han's been risking his life to protect us from those monsters! We won't let you take him!"

Han raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"You guys…"

The hunched figure turned to Deidara.

"They seem more attached to their jinchūriki than you led us to believe, Deidara."

Deidara chuckled and formed a handsign.

"Not that it matters, hm. KATSU!"

-Tsuchikage's Office-

"WHAT?!"

Ōnoki slammed his fist on the table.

"Darn that Akatsuki, betraying me at a time like this! Tell Kitsuchi to gather some jōnin and protect Rōshi at all cost! We can't lose our jinchūriki!"

-Near Takigakure-

A blast of wind knocked Fū out of the air. Three Taki shinobi immediately jumped to her aid.

"Fū, are you all right?"

They gasped as her attacker walked out of the forest.

"Kakuzu? Why are you here?"

Kakuzu pointed.

"Give me Fū, or I'll kill you all."

Fū clenched her teeth. There's no way these guys who hated her her whole life would risk themselves for her. Her eyes shot open as she heard a clash of kunai.

One of the Taki shinobi held his kunai against Kakuzu's, the other two moving to flank him.

"Run Fū! Get back to Taki! Now!"

Fū nodded, confused, and flapped with her wings, flying back. A man with a scythe stepped on a branch in front of her.

"Gotcha!"

Fū made a handsign.

"Hiden: Rinpungakure no Jutsu! (Hidden Technique: Scaled Sneak Jutsu)"

* * *

><p>Kakazu walked over and decked the blinded man.<p>

"You idiot. You let her escape, Hidan."

Hidan rubbed his eyes.

"How the &$(# was I supposed to know she had a (#&$-ing jutsu like that?"

Kakuzu shook his head.

"She's a jinchūriki you idiot. What did you expect, for her to roll over and let you kill her? Well come on, I know where she's going."

- Kaminari no Kuni-

Yugito narrowed her eyes at the two shinobi in front of her.

_There's no doubt…that's Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame._

"What do two missing-nin like you want here?"

Itachi pointed at her.

"Yugito-san, it is time for you to come with us."

"Like heck it is!"

Yugito prepared to attack and turned to her two comrades.

"Get ready to run you guys, I'll hold them off!"

The two jumped in front of her and unsheathed their katanas.

"No Yugito, you run, we'll hold them off!"

Yugito's eyes widened.

"Don't be idiots! These are S-class missing-nin! You can't possibly beat them!"

The two smiled.

"We know. We don't expect to last more than a few minutes. But the village needs you, Yugito-san. If we can buy you enough time to escape, that's more than worth it."

Yugito grunted, then looked down, turned and shunshined away. Kisame laughed.

"Well, she might actually get away. At least I get to play with you two."

-High Hrothgar courtyard-

"**WULD!** AHHHH!"

With his shinobi speed, Naruto's Whirlwind Sprint took him much farther than the gate, and he found himself floating over air. He quickly thrust his hands down and sand shot out of his gourd, forming a bed that held him up.

"That was, unexpected. But your quick mastery of the Thu'um is equally astonishing. I'd heard the stories of the abilities of Dragonborn, but to see it for myself..."

Naruto looked confused.

"I thought it was this easy for everyone, dattebayo!"

Arngeir shook his head vigorously.

"No it is not. But be sure your power does not outstrip your wisdom."

Naruto folded his arms and nodded, not really understanding.

"So what now, dattebayo?"

Arngeir nodded.

"You are now ready for your last trial. Retrieve the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, our founder, from his tomb. I will mark the location on your map. Remain true to the Way of the Voice, and you will return."

Naruto nodded.

"Um right, Way of the Voice, got it!"

He walked over to Jiraiya and held up the map.

"Psst. Jiraiya-sama, do you know where this is?"

Jiraiya shook his head, chuckling.

"Classic Naruto. I'll show you where it is, ya idiot."

-Tomb of Jurgen Windcaller-

"Take this, you stupid bug!"

Naruto smashed the giant spider with his sword, clothes still smoking from the fire traps he hadn't noticed. He turned angrily to Jiraiya.

"Why didn't you tell me the floor would set me on fire?!"

Jiraiya shrugged.

"You're supposed to follow the 'Way of the Voice' and you're a ninja. And to be fair…Haku tried to warn you but you had already stepped on one of them."

Naruto folded his arms and pouted. He walked over to another door blocked by spider webs, which were easy cut by his sword. He walked through and found a gate with a pull chain next to it. As the gate opened and he passed through, he came to a room with a bridge, leading up to an altar. As the three shinobi walked forward, four statues rose out of the water.

"This must be it, something's wrong though…"

By the altar were several dead draugr.

"Wait, there's no horn here!"

Naruto ran around, panicking and searching for the horn. As he did, Haku walked up to the altar. There was a small note where the horn likely was.

_Hi Naruto. I have the Horn. Meet me at the Kakuni Ramen Shop._

"Naruto, I know where the horn is!"

Naruto stopped his panicking for a second. Haku showed the note to both him and Jiraiya. Naruto smiled.

"Whoever they are, I like their style, dattebayo!"

Haku and Jiraiya chuckled.

"I know where that is…let's go."

-Kakuni Ramen Shop, Tsuchi no Kuni-

Naruto happily slurped up the last of his fourth bowl of ramen.

"It's almost as good as Ichiraku!"

A cloaked figure walked towards the bar, and took a seat next to the shinobi.

"So you're the Dragonborn."

Naruto blinked.

"Wait, you sound really familiar."

The figure smiled, and reached for the hood.

"Is their ramen really that good, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto jumped back in shock.

"AYAME?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Ayame smirked.

"Surprised?"

Naruto nodded vigorously.

"HECK YEA I AM!"

Ayame giggled and pulled the Horn out of her cloak.

"I think you were looking for this. Sorry, Naruto-kun, but we need to talk."

Naruto sat down, him and both his companions extremely curious. Ayame took a breath.

"My father and I aren't just cooks. For as long as we can remember, our family has been part of a secret organization, one that believed someday dragons would return."

She sighed.

"At first my father and I didn't really believe it, but it was family tradition so we went through the training and learned the stories. But it seems like we didn't do enough."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"You went through a lot of trouble, I'm sure Naruto told you about his dragon encounters, why not talk to him there?"

Ayame shook her head.

"I had to verify some things first, and by the time the dragon attacks started in force Naruto-kun had already left the village. Also, while Naruto mentioned the dragon he didn't mention being Dragonborn, I'm guessing Kakashi told him to keep that a secret. Besides, would any of you have taken me seriously at Ichiraku?"

Jiraiya folded his arms.

"Well you'll find we're increasingly less skeptical these days, but fair enough."

Naruto still looked confused.

"But why were you looking for me, Ayame?"

Ayame nodded.

"You're Dragonborn, right? The Dragonborn is mentioned in our tales as the ultimate dragonslayer."

Naruto grinned.

"Haha, I am pretty awesome, dattebayo!"

Everyone chuckled.

"Well, not just that…anyone strong enough can kill a dragon, but you're the only one who can absorb their soul and kill them permanently."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean, 'permanently?' Is there something you haven't told us?"

Ayame nodded.

"This is going to sound incredible, but dragons aren't just coming back."

She took a deep breath.

"They're coming back to life."

-Iwagakure-

"Jinton! (Dust Release)"

Ōnoki encased the approaching dragon's head in a white sphere and disintegrated it. He flew back down to where Kurotsuchi had just pummeled a dragon's head with a rock-covered fist.

"Report!"

Kurotsuchi took a breath.

"That's the last of them! We've taken heavy casualties but the village is ours! Most of the civilians have already evacuated."

Ōnoki clenched his fist.

"It's like they waited until our forces were spread out. But they underestimated us! Even if we're few in number, our will of stone will never be broken! GAH!"

Kurotsuchi laughed as her grandfather threw out his back while motioning with his fist. Her smile vanished as they heard another roar.

"More of them! Here they come!"

A Iwa shinobi flew through the air and landed at their feet, claw marks on his back. To their surprise, it was only a single dragon, albeit larger and scarier-looking than the others. The Tsuchikage clenched his fist again.

"How dare you attack my village! I'll show you the strength of the Tsuchikage!"

Ōnoki flew towards the dragon at full speed. The dragon opened its mouth.

"**FUS…RO DAH!**"

The huge blast of energy slammed into Ōnoki and sent him hurtling towards the ground. Kurotsuchi grabbed him and was slammed into the ground from the impact. The two looked up and saw the dragon hovering over the bodies of its kin.

"**SLEN TIID VO!**"

A blast of energy surged out of the dragon's mouth into the bodies of its kin. To the Iwa-nins' horror, the dragons started stirring, burning flakes gathering from the air and regenerating missing body parts. Even the dragons that had been destroyed by Ōnoki's jinton were regenerating. The dragon growled at the two.

"**Krii dar joor!** (Kill these mortals!)"


	11. Jul Neben Iidah

Authors Note: I'm back! And immediately gone again, going on a missions trip on Thursday and won't be back till late July. If I'm ever back. Because I would NEVER randomly drop off the face of the earth abandoning all fics. But I did finish the Chuunin exams before Half-Life 3 or the next single player Elder Scrolls came out! In your face Gabe and Bethesda!

Part of the reason I put this chapter off so long was I realized I had no idea where any of this was going long term. In my flurry of writing I passed the point I had planned up to and was just kinda making it up as I went along. Which ended up with a village being destroyed by dragons. Before the shippuden time-skip and before Naruto's even past adept level skills. Probably a little fast but w/e we can work with it. I kinda wanna figure out an end goal so I know what the heck's going on before I destroy half the world and don't have to spend time responding to my own work haha.

However, this chapter can be released before everything's figured out, so here ya go. Mostly about the shinobi world's response to Iwa being destroyed and how they're going to keep it from happening again. Don't expect more any time soon.

For questions (Note I don't even remember when I wrote these answers or the questions but w/e they were already in the draft haha):

Kikaichu: they eat chakra and not flesh, so given Shino can still produce chakra normally I didn't plan to change them much. They might be a bit uncomfortable with the lower body temperature but they themselves are not vampirized. As for screen time, will work on it

Naruto absorbing more biju may or may not occur as convenient for the plot. Isobu's an obvious choice, the others take a bit more work to come across.

Screen time for werewolves and vampires can try.

Daedric princes most likely.

As for magicka being inferior to chakra...well for one plot no jutsu since its necessary for my lore to make sense haha. But I present several pieces of evidence for why I think so:

-composition: Chakra is stated to combine both spiritual energy and stamina. In Elder Scrolls mechanics, that means chakra expends both magicka and stamina. Doesn't make sense for it to be weaker than magicka if it's more costly.

-effect power vs. effect type. You are referring to the effects of magicka, while I mean the power of magicka. That's to say, my meaning is if an adept level magicka spell hits a chuunin level jutsu that has an identical effect (say fireballs), the jutsu will overpower the magicka spell. As for why magicka can do things chakra can't, I'm going with a "dark ages" effect. Magicka was encountered in the games after centuries of peace with a united empire. They had a lot of time to explore it and they shared prior research. Since then, the empire was wiped out, the landscape completely changed, and culture transformed. Like Europe after the fall of Rome, a great deal of knowledge was lost. And ninja clans aren't good for building things back, ninja clans like to keep their techniques secret and take them to the grave, so what little gets recovered is easily lost again. The College right now is just recovering some of the lore, but they aren't a well known entity so they aren't sharing that knowledge with the villages at the moment.

-finally physical effect. Chakra boosts physical capabilities in a way magicka can't. Evidence is that chakra-wielding kids can take on full grown adults in hand to hand combat and win. Chakra users move faster and hit harder than normal people in physical combat as well as being able to use ninjutsu. Therefore, chakra users have an insurmountable advantage over non-chakra users. In Naruto there is no alternative to chakra, even Rock Lee (water walking) and the samurai use it and people who don't, like Gato's thugs, don't last five seconds against a twelve-year old who can. In the Elder Scrolls a warrior with no magicka skills can still take on a powerful mage and win, knowing magicka doesnt make you faster, stronger, or tougher than the average person and often choosing to focus on magicka will actually make you weaker physically.

I'll give you enchanting though. The ninja have alchemy (soldier pills and poisons) too.

* * *

><p>-Chapter 11: Jul Neben Iidah (Humanity under Attack)-<p>

* * *

><p>-Kakuni Ramen Bar, Tsuchi no Kuni-<p>

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"What makes you think dragons are coming back to life?"

Ayame sighed.

"I know it sounds crazy, but Naruto, remember the dragon you fought in the Forest of Death? The Forest of Death was home to an ancient dragon burial site. After you mentioned it, I checked it on a hunch. It was empty."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Jiraiya grunted.

"The Hokage will need to hear about this. Do you have any more information on these dragons?"

Ayame shook her head.

"Bits and pieces. But my father said the group had one more member left besides us. He lives in Iwagakure and he truly believed the dragons were returning, so he probably knows more than we do."

Jiraiya grunted and rubbed his chin.

"I can get into Iwagakure, but it's too risky for all of us to go. Haku, can I trust you to take Naruto back to High Hrothgar?"

Haku nodded.

"You can count on me!"

Naruto folded his arms.

"Hey! Why can't I go to Iwagakure?!"

Jiraiya sighed.

"Naruto, don't you want to take that horn back and learn more Words of Power? We're just going to have a boring talk with someone in Iwagakure."

Naruto's eyes lit up.

"That's right! Come on Haku let's go, dattebayo!"

Everyone chuckled and Haku got up to follow.

-Iwagakure-

A small toad hopped into the village. It opened its mouth and a hand shot out of it.

Ayame gasped as she and Jiraiya climbed out of the toad.

"What...what happened here?"

Iwagakure was little more than smoldering ruins, the buildings left standing either burning or crumbling. Jiraiya's eyes narrowed.

"Stick with me, let's search for survivors.

Jiraiya and Ayame walked around the town, trying to ignore the smells of death and burning flesh. Suddenly they heard a moan, and ran towards the ruins from which it came. They found an Iwa-nin, his bottom half trapped under debris. Ayame checked his vital signs, and shook her head.

"Can you tell us what happened here?"

The shinobi coughed.

"Who are you? Reinforcements? Well you're too late. They came out of nowhere."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed more.

"Who?"

The shinobi coughed again.

"Where have you been? Dragons!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"Dragons did this?"

The shinobi nodded.

"Yea, more dragons than we had ever seen. Most of our shinobi were spread out in the countryside when they came, but we were able to evacuate the civilians and fight them off. Then this big, ugly one shows up, and then all the dragons we killed just came back to life! Last I saw Sandaime-sama was trying to hold them off, that's when one knocked this building on top of me."

The shinobi winced in pain.

"Look, I'm a vet, I've been in wars and seen a lot. Unless you're Tsunade herself, I know I'm done for. Will you do me a final favor?"

Jiraiya nodded grimly and pulled out a kunai, swiftly stabbing the shinobi's throat and killing him. He stood up as Ayame stared in horror.

"This is far worse than we feared, we need to get back to Konoha."

-Hokage's Office-

"Dispatch another squad immediately. Punish any incursions into Hi no Kuni!"

"Yes sir!"

With that the ANBU disappeared, Sandaime sitting back in his chair to take a moment. He did not get one as his window suddenly opened.

"Jiraiya? You've returned I see."

Jiraiya nodded grimly. Sandaime's eyes narrowed at Jiraiya's uncharacteristically serious demeanor.

"What's wrong Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya pulled out a scroll.

"Dragons destroyed Iwagakure."

Sandaime grunted.

"So it's true. We've been hearing many conflicting reports over what's happening there."

Jiraiya nodded and tossed Sandaime the scroll.

"Yea, I checked personally. And it gets worse."

Sandaime's eyes widened.

"You're absolutely sure?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Ayame figured out where another site was and we checked on the way back. I saw one rise myself."

Sandaime folded his hands, deep in thought.

"And Naruto is the only one who can prevent this?"

Jiraiya nodded grimly. Sandaime closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

"Go find Kakashi, I have some arrangements to make..."

-A few days later-

"They said they'll come."

Sandaime rubbed his chin and let out a puff of smoke.

"As expected given recent events, you are dismissed."

No sooner had the shinobi left the room, Jiraiya and Kakashi jumped through the window.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage-sama?"

Sandaime nodded.

"Yes. I have a task for you, both of you, of utmost importance for the survival of Konoha."

Kakashi's eye smile vanished and he became all business.

"What is it?"

Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"I need you to train Naruto."

Kakashi fell over, looking very confused as he stood back up.

"Um, sure?"

Sandaime tossed Kakashi a scroll. Kakashi's eye widened and he gasped.

"As you can see, the survival of our village and possibly more is now directly linked to Naruto's strength. As such, we need to accelerate his training and make him as strong as we can as quickly as we can. I have an idea of how to buy some time, but I don't know how long it will remain effective, so don't waste any time."

As Jiraiya and Kakashi bowed and vanished, Sandaime stood up, walking to the room containing forbidden scrolls. He had some grim research to do.

-A Dark Room underneath the Hokage's Office, a few days later-

The Hokage stepped into the room. There were eight individuals, bound and flanked by ANBU. The lead ANBU appeared in front of Sandaime and bowed.

"Hokage-sama! Eight death-row prisoners, as you requested!"

The Hokage nodded solemnly and walked in front of the individuals. One of them scowled.

"What are you up to, _Hokage-sama_?"

The Hokage sighed.

"Your sentence is to be carried out now, but there are going to be some special circumstances. I would like you to know what they are."

One of the prisoners tilted her head.

"What do you mean, special circumstances?"

Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"Dragons are real and have been attacking both civilians and shinobi all over the world. Recently, they attacked and were able to destroy Iwagakure."

One of the prisoners burst out laughing.

"You can't be serious..."

He stopped laughing under Sandaime's gaze.

"Unfortunately I am. In addition we have intel they can revive each other after being killed. This presents the main issue. No matter how strong our shinobi, if we can't permanently kill these dragons they will eventually destroy us. We need something that can fight them on equal terms."

Sandaime took a breathe here.

"You are to be used for the Edo Tensei no jutsu."

The prisoners looked confused.

"What sort of jutsu is that?"

Sandaime sighed.

"It is a kinjutsu developed by Nidaime Hokage. It revives a deceased shinobi in an immortal, never-tiring body. You can imagine how this would be useful against these dragons."

Sandaime saw understanding dawn in some of the prisoners eyes. Not all though.

"Konoha has a jutsu like that? Why don't you use it all the time then?"

Sandaime looked down.

"The jutsu requires two things besides the chakra and necessary handsigns. One, a DNA sample of the shinobi to be revived. And two..."

Sandaime looked at the prisoners sadly.

"A living human sacrifice."

Everyone was quiet.

"And we are to be those sacrifices, correct?"

Sandaime nodded.

"I apologize. Believe me when I say I would rather not use this jutsu, even though you were destined for execution. But now you may be able to do some good in death. Know that your sacrifice will save Konoha, and maybe more, from a menace that threatens us all."

One of the prisoners scoffed.

"Say what you want. I wouldn't help you, living or dead, if I had a choice."

Some of the prisoners shouted their approval. Another one smiled sadly.

"So I am to atone in death for my sins in life. Sandaime, I thank you for this chance."

Some others nodded as well. Sandaime nodded.

"Very well. I won't keep you waiting..."

Sandaime nodded to the ANBU. The ANBU injected each of the prisoners with sedatives, causing all eight of them to fall asleep, and the opened up scrolls in front of each one. Sandaime began the handsigns.

"Edo Tensei no jutsu!"

Seals shot from the scrolls and surrounded the eight prisoners. Dust and ash began gathering, lifting the prisoners off the ground and forming into bodies. In the center were two men in old armor, one black-haired, one white-haired. To their left was a Hyūga and an Uchiha. To their right were two white-haired men and a red-haired woman. Sandaime rubbed his chin.

"Hm, Yondaime's failed. Could it be because he used the Dead Demon seal?"

"Saru? What's going on?"

Sandaime closed his eyes.

"Shodaime-sama, Nidaime-sama, I'm sorry to have to bring you back like this..."

Nidaime grunted.

"So you used my jutsu, you must be truly desperate...Sarutobi what made you bring us back?"

Sandaime let out a hm.

"Dragons are real, and have destroyed Iwagakure."

All the shinobi gasped.

"Iwagakure...destroyed?"

Sandaime nodded.

"We have word that most of their shinobi weren't in the village and most of the civilians were able to escape. However, their forces are scattered, and the status of the Tsuchikage is still unknown. What's more, these dragons are immortal. Though they can be killed, they can revive each other, which is how they overwhelmed the Tsuchikage and destroyed Iwagakure. We fear they will use the same tactic elsewhere."

The former Hokages nodded thoughtfully. Shodaime spoke first.

"Well, that explains why you brought us back with this jutsu, Sarutobi."

Sandaime nodded.

"Actually we do have a plan. We discovered that one of our shinobi named Naruto..."

The red-haired woman gasped.

"...can somehow absorb the soul of a dragon, possibly killing it permanently. However, he is only a genin, though quite powerful for his age. He is also the Kyūbi jinchūriki, so we can't risk throwing him into battle with a dragon army until he's much stronger. I need you seven to buy us time to train him."

The shinobi nodded.

"Just summon us when the time comes, Sarutobi."

Sandaime closed his eyes.

"Thank you. I will do my best to train Naruto quickly and return you all to your rest."

Sandaime made a handsign and two coffins rose, Shodaime and nidaime returning to them and vanishing into the ground.

"Hizashi, Dan, Sakumo, Kushina, before you ask, of course I'll let you see them. I ask though that you keep a low profile for the time being."

Kushina gasped with joy. Sandaime motioned for the ANBU. Four ANBU came to the four shinobi and led them out of the room.

"Kagami, my friend, there is much to catch up on, very little of it good..."

-Naruto's apartment-

Naruto was so focus on happily slurping his ramen that he didn't hear the window open faintly.

"Yo."

"AH! GAH!"

Naruto jumped at Kakashi's sudden appearance, spilling hot ramen all over himself.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here?"

Kakashi was about to speak when the door slammed open.

"NARUTO!"

"Kushina?!"

Kakashi's eye widened as far as it could as Kushina smothered a very confused Naruto in a hug.

"You don't know do you? I'm your mother, dattebane!"

Naruto stared at her for a second. Kushina closed her eyes, rubbing the back of her head.

"Sorry, I just got so excited to see you! I guess forgot they never told you and..."

Kushina gasped in surprise as Naruto threw himself and hugged her, tears streaming down his face. Kakashi snapped out of shock and shook his head.

"Kushina...how?"

"We've been brought back to protect the village, son."

Kakashi turned around, and somehow his eye got even bigger.

"DAD?!"

-Two long heartfelt conversation later-

Naruto and Kushina were practically bursting with joy when Naruto suddenly had a thought.

"Wait, Mom, so who was my dad?"

Kushina's eyes widened as she gasped.

"Your dad! I completely forgot!"

Naruto's eyes widened as Kushina grabbed him and sprinted out the door.

"I have to tell Sandaime, come on!"

-The Hokage's Office-

Sandaime was filling out some paperwork when his door was flung open.

"SANDAIME! QUICK!"

Sandaime looked up in surprise.

"What is it, Kushina?"

Kushina ran over and grabbed Sandaime's hand.

"I just remembered! We can revive Minato too!"

Sandaime's eyes widened.

"What?! Really?"

Kushina nodded.

"I'll explain on the way!"

-Uzumaki Clan Mask Storage Temple-

Sandaime, Kushina, and Naruto along with an ANBU, the ninth deathrow prisoner, and Tsunade and Dan stood in front of the temple.

"Is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded. The ANBU sedated the prisoner and opened a scroll in front of him. Tsunade put on the Shinigami mask.

"GAH!"

Tsunade was surrounded by evil chakra. She stretched her hands out, the Shinigami appearing behind her.

"Ok I can see it! Get ready!"

Tsunade forced the Shinigami to cut its belly, a similar cut appearing on her stomach. Dan gasped but Kushina grabbed his shoulder.

"Now Sandaime!"

Sandaime quickly performed the Edo Tensei. A body of dust and ash began forming around the prisoner. Tsunade ripped off the mask and unleashed her Hyakugou seal, the wound on her stomach instantly healing itself.

"Hm?"

"Minato!"

Kushina ran and hugged the figure.

"Kushina? You're alive?!"

Kushina scratched her head.

"Sort of...but first you have to meet our son!"

"Naruto's here?"

Yondaime spun around until he found Naruto, who was staring up in awe at his revived hero.

"our...son?"

Yondaime smiled.

"That's right! You're my son!"

Everyone smiled as Naruto broke down in tears. Yondaime frowned.

"I guess Sandaime didn't tell you anything. He probably wanted to keep everything about the Kyubi a secret. If people knew you were my son, there might be trouble."

Naruto began to look up.

"Dad..."

Yondaime gasped as Naruto slammed a fist into his stomach.

"WHY DID YOU SEAL THE FOX INSIDE YOUR OWN SON!? DO YOU KNOW HO MUCH TROUBLE IT'S CAUSED ME!? I don't know whether I'm happy or angry!"

Yondaime sighed as Naruto wiped his eyes.

"Naruto, how old are you now?"

Naruto spoke in between sobs.

"12..."

"12, eh? It...must have been hard...Naruto. I'm sorry, I've done nothing but cause trouble for you, so maybe I shouldn't try to act like your father now when I'm apologizing."

Naruto wiped away the last tears.

"It's...ok...I'm the son of Yondaime...so I can deal..."

Sandaime cleared his throat.

"I think this isn't a conversation we need to be here for. Take your time, Minato, but see me afterwards. We have much to discuss."

Minato's eyes became serious for an instant as Sandaime and the rest of the shinobi minus his family left.

"I'm sure we do."

-Hokage's Office-

"So that's why."

Sandaime nodded.

"I know it sounds hard to believe."

Yondaime shook his head.

"You wouldn't have resorted to the Edo Tensei if it wasn't absolutely necessary."

Sandaime nodded and stood up as the Hokage Guard Platoon entered the room, Genma leading.

"Hokage-sama, are you ready to...YONDAIME?!"

Sandaime sighed as Yondaime rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"You're early, Genma. I'll explain along the way."

-Tetsu no Kuni (Land of Iron)-

Sandaime came to a large fortress, surrounded by a moat and covered in snow. He walked to a bridge leading to the entrance. Across the bridge were three samurai in ceremonial kimonos.

"We've been waiting for you, Hokage-sama. I am the leader of Tetsu no Kuni, my name is Mifune."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Hiruzen, the Hokage. I have to say your nation is quite cold compared to Hi no Kuni."

Mifune turned and started walking into the fortress.

"Please come in, I'll have some tea set for you."

The Hokage stepped into the meeting chamber, where the other Kage were already waiting. There was a semi-circular table with five seats, each flanked with a banner bearing the characters for water, wind, fire, earth, and lightning. Facing the concave side of the table was a smaller desk, and there Mifune took his seat. Sandaime Hokage took his seat just opposite of Mifune.

"Place your hats on the table, you are here because the Hokage has called this meeting."

Everyone glanced towards the Tsuchikage, who sighed.

"My name is Kitsuchi. Before you ask, I am not the tsuchikage. Tsuchikage-sama was severely injured but survived. He regrets he could not be here, as he is needed to regroup our forces. He has granted me authority to make decisions on his behalf."

Everyone was silent for a moment. The Raikage broke the silence.

"So it's true..."

The Mizukage let out a weak smile.

"Well, I guess the Tsuchikage is finally feeling his age."

Kitsune flashed her a dark look.

"I doubt any of you, regardless of age, would have fared better."

The Mizukage's smile vanished. The Hokage cleared his throat.

"In any case, that is why I called this meeting. It is clear that the dragon threat is much greater than we initially anticipated."

All participants nodded their agreement.

"They have already destroyed one of the Great Five Villages. We can't continue under current pretenses. We're going to need a more coordinated response if we're going to survive."

Some of the Kage nodded approval but the Raikage scoffed.

"Enough babbling, what specifically do you want?"

Mifune spoke up.

"This is most certainly a dark time, but there may be a silver lining. It is rare for the Five Kage to come together like this. What would you say to a Five-Village Alliance?"

Everyone stopped for a moment. The Hokage paused and then spoke.

"Perhaps alliance is too strong a word. But as we've largely ceased hostilities anyways, I think we can all agree on an official truce until the dragons are dealt with? And perhaps a joint shinobi task force?"

The Raikage scoffed again.

"You expect us to send our shinobi away in this time?"

The Hokage smiled.

"Well, Konoha does not come empty handed."

With that, the three former Hokage appeared behind Sandaime. The other Kage jumped off the table, their bodyguards leaping in front of them. However, Shodaime Hokage put up his hand.

"Relax everyone, we're not here to fight."

None of the shinobi moved or took an eye off the Hokage. nidaime Hokage's eye's narrowed.

"If we were here to fight, we wouldn't have shown ourselves before killing several of you."

The kage looked at each other, then motioned to their bodyguards to stand down. All but the Raikage took their seats again.

"Hokage, you go too far."

Sandaime made eye contact with the Raikage.

"These are desperate times. I have troubling intel on the attack on Iwagakure and my predecessor's jutsu offers the best solution."

Sandaime motioned to Kitsune, who sighed.

"I've no idea how he knows, but the Hokage is correct. Tsuchikage-sama actually won the first battle with the dragons. However, after we won, another dragon arrived and revived those that had fallen. We were overwhelmed."

The room went silent again. The Mizukage slumped back.

"So that's how they did it..."

Sandaime nodded grimly.

"As you can see, it's much worse than we thought. That is why I've used the Edo Tensei to revive my predecessors. They will be able to hold off a dragon attack indefinitely, no matter how many times they are revived. And I offer them to you all. I'm sure you've all heard stories of Konoha's Yellow Flash. With nidaime and Yondaime's capabilities, we can instantly transport a task force including the Edo Tensei shinobi to any village that comes under attack."

The Raikage folded his arms.

"Do you think us dumb, Hokage? You expect us to give the most powerful shinobi in Konoha's history with immortal bodies access to our villages?"

nidaime Hokage scoffed.

"If we wanted to attack your village, do you think we would need your permission to enter?"

The Raikage grit his teeth and clenched his fist. Shodaime Hokage glared at his brother.

"Enough of that, brother. We are trying to establish peace here."

Sandaime stared at the Raikage.

"In any case, I expect you to do what you consider right for your village. This is how I've chosen to defend mine. I believe we will need all the villages to fight this war, and so I offer Konoha's strength to you. If you choose not to accept, then we will respect your wishes and will not aid you if you are attacked."

As Sandaime and the Raikage had a staring contest, the Kazekage shook his head.

"Whatever the rest of you say, my village can't afford pretenses. Sunagakure accepts your offer, Hokage-sama."

The Mizukage nodded.

"As does Kirigakure."

Kitsune nodded as well.

"Iwagakure can't spare much to this task force, but we can certainly use your help."

Mifune looked to the Raikage.

"This goes beyond shinobi, the samurai will join in this effort as well. Well, what do you say, Raikage-sama?"

The Raikage clenched his fist, but then looked down and to the side.

"Fine. We'll play along, as if we had a choice in the matter."

Sandaime sighed in relief and pleasant surprise as the Raikage took his seat.

"Excellent."

The Kazekage looked grim still.

"It may buy us time, but it won't matter if we can't find a way to kill these dragons permanently."

Sandaime nodded approval.

"I may have a lead regarding that. I would like to confirm that it works first, however."

The Mizukage crossed her arms.

"Fair enough. Let's keep each other updated if we come across anything. Shall we start with this task force now?"

The Raikage grunted however.

"Before we start logistics, there is one more matter to discuss."

Mifune turned to him.

"Very well, what is it?"

The Raikage grit his teeth again.

"Akatsuki."

The other kage exchanged glances. Kitsune spoke up.

"The mercenary organization of S-rank missing-nin? What of them?"

The Raikage slammed the table.

"Don't play dumb! They attacked my jinchūriki the moment they left the village! Part of the reason I agreed to this meeting was to determine who hired them for this!"

Kitsune shook his head as the Raikage glared at him.

"It's...true Iwagakure has made use of their services in the past. However, our jinchūriki were attacked as well."

The Raikage turned to the Mizukage.

"To tell you the truth, there were suspicions that my predecessor, Yondaime Mizukage, was being controlled by someone. It could have been Akatsuki, but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

The Kazekage grunted.

"As you may have guessed my predecessor was recently killed. We've discovered his death was at the hands of Orochimaru, a known Akatsuki member though it's unclear if he's still a member of the group."

All the kage turned and looked at Sandaime. At this Yondaime Hokage stepped forward.

"I can shed some light on this. As you know Konoha was attacked by the Kyubi twelve years ago, an attack I perished during. What most people don't know was that it was by a member, perhaps the leader, of this Akatsuki. What's more, I believe our attacker, and thus the leader of Akatsuki, may have been Uchiha Madara.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Is that even possible?"

Kitsune shrugged.

"Immortal dragons are, so why not?"

Mifune cleared his throat.

"It seems we have a second common enemy."

The Mizukage nodded.

"We all thought Akatsuki was just another mercenary gang, but it looks like they have something more sinister planned."

The Kazekage rubbed his chin.

"They probably have been targeting the jinchuriki all along, and attempted to take advantage of the chaos caused by the dragons."

Sandaime nodded.

"Thankfully they've shown their hand a bit early. I propose we share intel on this group. We can also use the dragon task force to coordinate a response if Akatsuki makes any more moves."

Three other kage nodded approval. Mifune turned to the Raikage.

"Does that satisfy you, Raikage-sama?"

The Raikage folded his arms.

"I don't trust any of you for a second. But I'll see if this task-force produces any results first. Let's get this over with."


	12. Zok Mul Til Lost

Author's Note: As some of you have noticed, last chapter was a bit rushed. And by rushed I mean I was too lazy to proofread haha. Kitsune is in fact supposed to be Kitsuchi. I would take my time more but we all know how that would end (see you in 2015!). I attempted to look through this one a bit more, but gosh darn it I'm lazy haha.

In fact, Naruto and Minato's meeting shouldn't have gone like canon. 12 year old Naruto would probably run around screaming and jumping around yelling "I'm Minato's Son" and then proceed to paint "Naruto's Dad" on Minato's Hokage Mountain face. But I was too lazy to think of that before I wrote it when I could mindlessly copy so w/e. Time for retcon!

All right, now we have an acceptable reason to run around doing side quests instead of dealing with the main storyline. Like Skyrim!

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><p>Chapter 12: Zok Mul Til Lost (The Strongest There Was)<p>

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><p>-Hokage Mountain-<p>

Naruto giggled, a massive smile on his face as he climbed up on to Yondaime's face, a bucket of paint in hand. He dipped a brush into the bucket and was about to begin writing...

"NARUTO!"

Naruto turned to see some random kunoichi standing behind him.

"Uh, who are you?"

The kunoichi turned red and hit him over the head.

"Don't you recognize your own mom, dattebane?!"

Tears streamed from Naruto's eyes due to the bump growing on his head.

"Mom?! But you don't look like Mom!"

Kushina gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, then rubbed her head sheepishly.

"Sorry Naruto! I forgot I was using a henge no jutsu. Guess I still need to work on my temper, dattebane! Anyways, what are you doing up here, son?"

Naruto grinned.

"I'm gonna write 'Naruto's Dad' on Dad's face!"

Kushina crossed her arms.

"Naruto, didn't we talk about this? How many times do I need to tell you no?"

Naruto looked down, sadly.

"But I just want everyone to know I'm Yondaime's son! Then they'll stop ignoring me and acknowledge me!"

Kushina looked sad, then pulled Naruto into her arms.

"Oh Naruto...I know it's hard but you have to keep this a secret."

Naruto folded his arms under Kushina's embrace.

"Yea yea people will try to kill or kidnap me but I can take em, dattebayo!"

Kushina looked into Naruto's eyes and smiled.

"I'm sure you can, but I'll worry about you, so please, Naruto, for me? And one day, you'll find friends who like you for who you are; who won't see either a jinchuriki or Yondaime's son but just you."

Naruto sighed.

"Fine..."

Naruto then moved to put away the brush and leap off the mountain.

"Where are you going, Naruto?"

Naruto looked confused.

"I'm going leave, like you said."

Naruto gasped as Kushina grabbed the bucket from him and held up her own brush, a glint in her eye.

"I only said you have to keep your dad a secret. I never said we couldn't prank him!"

-Dragon Task Force HQ, Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire)-

Nara Shikaku yawned as he walked up to the side of the mountain. He flared his chakra and a seal appeared. He then performed some handsigns.

"Release!"

The seal vanished and a boulder moved to the side, revealing the entrance to a tunnel lit by wall-mounted lights. Shikaku entered and walked through the tunnel.

Eventually he came to a large cavern supported by several pillars, partially lit by some laterns scattered around. Konoha shinobi were running around everywhere, applying seals, digging holes and tunnels, looking over blueprints, and carrying supplies. In the center a pond was being dug with seals being drawn around it's edges. On the far side of the pond was a chakra transmission communication device (CTCD). Shikaku walked around the pond ditch to the block.

"Hey Shikaku, or should I say, Commander?"

A blond-haired shinobi sitting by the CTCD and wearing one of the headpieces greeted Shikaku. Shikaku rubbed his head.

"Just Shikaku to you, Inoichi, how are things going?"

Inoichi grinned.

"So far so good. Our communications are up and running, though as you can see our sensory network is still in progress. We have some scouts in each of the Five Nations, I'm in contact with them now."

Shikaku nodded as one of the shinobi passed him a report.

"Good, and HQ construction?"

Inoichi grinned again.

"You'll have to ask Choza!"

Shikaku glanced over where his giant teammate was swinging a massive pickaxe at the far wall. Choza just grunted and gave a thumbs up before resuming his work. Shikaku grinned a little.

"Have any of the other village's forces arrived?"

Inoichi nodded.

"Yea, they're in that first subsection we dug out."

Shikaku nodded, grabbed a latern, and then walked down a tunnel on the side of the cavern. He came into a small room with a few cots set up. Inside was a large assortment of shinobi from other villages. Some were sharpening kunai, others reading scrolls, some attempting to sleep. All of them looked nervous. Shikaku frowned.

New chūnin from the looks of it, maybe even genin. Definitely no jōnin. I doubt they'll be combat ready for a while.

Shikaku sighed.

Ah well, as Sandaime predicted in any case.

"Hello everyone. I'm Nara Shikaku, and I'm the commander for this operation."

Everyone immediately shot up and rushed to get in some semblance of order at the word commander. Shikaku raised a hand.

"Relax, the operation's barely begun as it is."

"Sir!"

One of the shinobi stood up. Shikaku nodded to him.

"Are we really going to fight, well, dragons? All on our own?"

Some of the other shinobi gulped. Shikaku nodded.

"We are going to fight dragons. But I will tell you this: I don't know how your villages do it, but in Konoha we never abandon our comrades. While you are a part of this operation you are my men and thus my comrades. I'm not sending any of you into something you can't handle, is that clear?"

The shinobi nodded, many looking very relieved. Some weren't convinced though.

"Then who's going to fight if the dragons that destroyed Iwagakure attack again?"

Shikaku was thinking of a response as someone walked up behind him.

"Shodai!"

The first Hokage put his hand on Shikaku's back.

"Shikaku was it? I heard you're the one in charge here?"

Shikaku smiled.

Perfect timing.

"Yes I am, Shodai Hokage."

The shinobi in the room gasped at the name. Shodai smiled.

"That's great! You shinobi from the Nara clan were always brilliant strategists. With you on our side we have nothing to fear!"

With that, Shodai turned and walked back out of the room. Shikaku glanced around. Most of the shinobi were either staring at the entrance or at him, the one the god of shinobi had just praised. He smiled again.

"Well, you've all had a long trip so rest today. Tomorrow we're going to analyze each of your capabilities so be ready."

"Yes sir!"

With that Shikaku left the room.

-Forest of Death, nighttime-

Shikamaru glanced around the small clearing in the forest. There seemed to be no one, nothing but the occasional howl of wild animal. He pulled out a scroll and released the seal. Three training dummies now stood in front of him. He pulled off his forehead protector and tied it around one of the dummies and then turned and walked to the other side of the clearing, facing the dummies. He took a deep breath and began to release his emotions and control...

He let out a roar as he assumed wolf form. He tried to form a sign with his hand and released his chakra. His shadow wobbled for a second, then extended a few inches towards the dummies. However, after a few inches it began wobbling again and reverted back to normal. Shikamaru let out a roar of frustration and leaped on the nearest dummy tearing it to shreds.

Afterwards he began sniffing the air and growled. Something began stirring in the bushes behind him. He let out a roar and pounced on top of it, claws pulled back to strike, then stopped. It was a girl his age, frozen in terror. This one seemed familiar...and then he recognized her fully. It was Ino! He began forcing the inner beast and his emotions back into control.

Shikamaru fell backwards off her. Ino coughed a little and sat up.

"Idiot! You almost killed me!"

Shikamaru rubbed his head.

"Troublesome, sorry about that...Ino what are you doing here?"

Ino folded her arms.

"Hey I'm the vampire and it's night! But if you had to know I'm practicing my sensor-nin skills! Being a vampire seems to have improved their range and strength, so I'm working on the precision! What are YOU doing here?!"

Shikamaru sighed.

"Well since we can't sleep anyways, Lee, Hinata, and I are trying to improve our control over our werewolf form. Specifically I'm trying to use my Kage Mane no Jutsu while in wolf form."

Ino looked confused and glanced over at the devastated training dummy.

"Why would you need to do that? It seems pretty powerful already."

Shikamaru shook his head.

"For Lee it makes sense, he was already a complete taijutsu specialist who specialized in ferocious unarmed assault. Given how hard he pushes his body's physical strength and how he's trained in taijutsu to the point of reflex, the wolf form takes his natural strengths and boosts them even further. Likewise Hinata, while not to the point of Lee, is also primarily a taijutsu fighter. Her wolf form can likely take advantage of her natural agility and the reflexes she has from her training. Not only that, but her Byakugan is a physical part of her. She hasn't been able to use both yet, but I bet she has at least the potential to use it in wolf form...

But I'm neither a taijutsu specialist or from a clan with a kekkei genkai. My strength is in my jutsu and my strategies. My wolf transformation may take some shinobi off guard, but with my strength and speed it won't work against anyone truly strong enough to warrant it. For it to be a trump card for me, I need to at least maintain a clear head and hopefully use my jutsu."

Ino looked surprised.

"Wow, I'm impressed. You've really thought a lot about this, Shikamaru! So wait, where are Hinata and Lee then?"

Shikamaru sighed and pointed at the debris of the training dummy.

"Our control isn't very strong yet, it's very easy to slip into a blind rage still. We spread out for each others' safety. Speaking of which, you should be very careful to avoid us while we're training."

Ino flashed a smile.

"That's exactly what I'm training to do! Ok, see you Shikamaru! Good luck with your training!"

-Dragon Task Force HQ, the next morning-

Shikaku yawned as he rose out of bed, dreading the sheer amount of work to be done that day. He had barely gotten dressed when a shinobi burst into his room.

"Commander Shikaku! Come quick! We have a situation!"

Shikaku's eyes widened.

"You're sure, Inoichi?"

Inoichi nodded grimly.

"Positive. An army of dragons was spotted on the border between Tsuchi no Kuni and Kaze no Kuni, headed straight for Sunagakure."

Shikaku rubbed his chin.

"Well there's only one thing to do. Contact our agent in Suna and tell him to use the contingency!"

-The desert outside Sunagakure-

An ANBU from Konoha appeared in the desert. He quickly pulled out and unrolled a scroll, performed some handsigns, and sent some chakra into the seal. There was a large puff of smoke, and the ANBU couldn't help but gasp as now the three formerly deceased Hokage with five other famous Konoha shinobi stood in front of him.

"H-Hokage-sama!"

Minato smiled.

"Which one?"

Tobirama sighed as Hashirama let out a laugh.

"You there, we're in Kaze no Kuni, correct?"

The ANBU nodded.

"A few miles north of Sunagakure."

Tobirama turned to face north.

"And all of us are gathered. It's time."

All smiles vanished from the eight shinobi's faces. Hashirama turned to face his fellow shinobi.

"Hizashi."

The Hyuga nodded.

"Byagukan! A large dragon force approaches from the north, maybe a hundred strong or so."

Hashirama nodded.

"Then we don't have much time."

The three Hokages and Kushina made handsigns.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

"Mokuton Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The four clones immediately leaped in four different directions.

"I see them!"

The dragons were close enough that the seven non-Hyuga could see them. Hashirama turned to his fellows again.

"Now!"

At the corners of a square with mile long sides were the four clones. Each began doing handsigns and simultaneously stuck their hands out.

"Shisekiyōjin!"

A huge box of red energy appeared over the area, encompassing the dragon army. Each of the four clones then created a second, smaller wall, boxing themselves in. The dragons began roaring at the barrier around them. Some began breathing fire and frost at the barrier, one crashed into it only to roar in pain as it was deflected off.

Hashirama stared at the dragons.

"There will be no escape for you, but through us!"

The dragons turned and saw the group of shinobi. After muttering in their language to another, the whole army descended on the shinobi. A large group of dragons began combining their breaths into a massive fireball and massive frostball at the shinobi. Kagami and Tobirama stepped forward.

"Kagami, let's go."

"As you command, Tobirama!"

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

"Suiton: Suijinheki!"

Kagami shot a fireball and blocked the frost while Tobirama shot a wall of water from his mouth that blocked the fire. A cloud of steam from the water-fire collision now blocked the dragon's view. As the dragon's approached it, chakra chains and trees shot out of the steam cloud and wrapped around several dragons. A wave of special kunai also shot randomly among the dragons.

On the ground Minato suddenly burst into a Kyubi chakra shroud. He appeared among the dragons, Kyubi chakra arms extending from his shroud, each with a Rasengan in hand. Several dragons around him roared in pain as the Rasengan slammed into them. Minato repeated this process multiple times, jumping to the kunai in between the dragons. As he did a spirit flew straight into one of the dragons and it began roaring in pain as it turned and crashed into one of it's brethren, sending them both tumbling to earth. The spirit left the dragon as soon as it crashed and flew into another, repeating the attack.

As the dragons above tried to catch the yellow and silver death flashing among them, several burst through the cloud only to find a massive forest underneath it. As they flew among the trees, white steaks began flying past them as Sakumo and Tobirama began attacking the dragons with their swords. The survivors roared and tried to exit the forest, but the trees wrapped themselves around them as they did, leaving them trapped.

The ANBU watched in awe at the perfectly coordinated attack. Hizashi was calling out the dragon's positions while Kagami was predicting their flight patterns, allowing Sakumo, Kushina, Dan, and the three Hokage to attack with perfect coordination. Once, a dragon flew around behind, seemingly unnoticed. But as it shot a frostball, Hizashi began spinning, blocking it with a Kaiten, as Kagami leaped up and shot a fireball towards it. As the dragon was about to dodge Kagami made eye-contact with it and it closed it's eyes for a second, just long enough for the fireball to slam into it. Hizashi and Kagami then went back to calling out attacks. Soon the clouds cleared, revealing about half of the dragons had fallen. Hashirama turned to Tobirama.

"Brother, time to end this! Mokuton: Mokuryū no Jutsu!"

A huge wooden dragon shot out of the ground, Hashirama on it's head. Tobirama laid his palm on the dragon and it instantly appeared among the dragons in the sky. From there it spouted eight heads, each of which shot out in different directions, wrapping around and attacking the dragons. More heads then sprouted out from those heads, so that the attack continuously increased in size. Minato turned to Kushina.

"Kushina! Our turn too! Time for our Infinite Spiraling Uzumaki Namikaze Flash Chain Combo!'

Kushina giggled and everyone else deadpanned at the name. Minato and Kushina then made several clones. Each Minato clone through several special kunai into the air. Each Kushina clone sent out several chakra chains which shot through the holes in the kunai and began carrying them. The chains then began shooting among the dragons. As each chain passed by or through a dragon, a Minato clone would appear and slam a Rasengan into it. It happened so fast and fluidly that the ANBU only saw blue lines shooting through the sky with yellow flashes appearing and dragons falling wherever they went. Even the other Edo Tensei shinobi watched in awe at the two pairs smash through the remaining dragons.

Kagami smiled as Hashirama and Tobirama landed in front of them, while Minato and Kushina released their clones and walked up to join them, dead dragons falling by scores in the background and creating large sand explosions behind them.

"Well, that's the power of the Hokage! Maybe you should have started with that, Tobirama."

Tobirama just grunted.

"Let's hurry, I doubt we have much time."

The shinobi began sealing the dragon corpses into scrolls. As they did a lone dragon approached the barrier. It growled and took a breath.

"**Yol...Toor Shul!**"

The dragon unleashed a huge blast of fire from its mouth. The barrier held steady. The dragon took another breath.

"**Fus...Ro Dah!**"

The barrier shook with such force the eight shinobi in the center felt it. The Hokage and Kushina looked at each other worried. Minato spoke first.

"This is a Hokage and Uzumaki level barrier; for something to hit it that hard..."

Hashirama nodded.

"That dragon must be the one who revives the others; its power must be incredible."

Tobirama also nodded.

"Agreed, let's hurry up here."

The shinobi began making clones to help them clear out the dragon corpses. As they did the dragon growled once more.

"**Feim Zii Gron!**"

Suddenly the dragon turned transparent blue and flew straight through the barrier. The Minato clone watched it in terror and immediately dispelled itself, bringing the barrier down. The shinobi in the center watched with horror as the barrier began dissipating. Hashirama looked most shocked of all.

"It...It broke through our barrier?"

Minato shook his head.

"The dragon just flew through the barrier like it wasn't there! My clone saw it and dispelled to let us know."

As Minato spoke, the ANBU sealed the last dragon corpse.

"That's it!"

Tobirama appeared behind the ANBU, touched his back and vanished. Minato sent out chakra hands to grab each of the Edo Tensei shinobi and also vanished right as the dragon came into view. The dragon roared in anger, breathing fire to burn the spot where the shinobi had just been standing.

-Hokage's Office-

Sandaime was flipping through some documents when an ANBU rushed into the room.

"Hokage-sama! News from Dragon HQ!"

The ANBU handed him a scroll. Sandaime breathed a sigh of relief as he read through it, then flipped on a television screen he recently installed in his office. As it came on, Shikaku appeared on it and bowed.

"Hokage-sama, I'm pleased to report we've successfully defended Sunagakure from a dragon army assault.

The Hokage smiled at that.

"So I heard. These results were beyond my expectations, I hope you're progress continues. In any case, this victory alone will buy us a lot of time. And with such a victory, the other villages should be more enthusiastic about the project."

Shikaku nodded.

"I hope so. The Edo Tensei squad gives us a powerful trump card, but we'll need more manpower if the dragons spread out like they did before the attack on Iwagakure. And it's just good planning not to rely on a single tactic, we don't know if and when the dragons will learn to counter it."

Sandaime nodded.

"Looking ahead, as always, Shikaku. I'll see what I can do to get you some more resources. Keep up the good work."

Shikaku bowed, and the television screen shut off.

-Training Field 15, Konoha-

Kakashi and Jiraiya giggled as they read through Jiraiya's proposal for his latest novel when Naruto arrived, floating on a bed of sand. Both his mentors sweatdropped.

"Uh, Naruto, you know you shouldn't really advertise that ability, right?"

Naruto grinned.

"I know, Kakashi-sensei!"

Then Naruto's face was one of dread.

"But I just came from a Gai-sensei workout..."

Kakashi was immediately sympathetic.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei! Naruto!"

Kakashi turned and smiled as Sakura ran up. As she did, Sasuke appeared behind them underneath the shade of a tree.

"Hn, why have you called us here, Kakashi? And who is this?"

Jiraiya smiled and struck a pose.

"Thanks for asking! Mt. Myoboku's Holy Master Sennin, also known as the Toad Sennin. Jiraiya of Konoha's legendary Sannin!"

Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened.

"No way...one of the three legendary Sannin?"

Jiraiya smiled smugly at the genin's awe. Kakashi shook his head and eye smiled.

"Anyways, our team has been assigned a special mission, one of critical importance to the village."

Sasuke and Sakura snapped out of their star-awe and became serious.

"A mission critical to the village...for us? But Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun just became a chunin, and Naruto and I are still genin! What can we possibly do that's so important?"

Kakashi eye smiled and pointed to Naruto.

"We have to train Naruto!"

Sasuke and Sakura deadpanned. Naruto beamed, but also looked confused.

"Wha...?"

Kakashi continued eye-smiling.

"Well, you three recall your experiences with dragons, correct?"

Team 7 all nodded. Kakashi suddenly stopped smiling.

"I don't know if you've heard the rumors, but the Hokage says they're true. Iwagakure has been destroyed by dragons."

Team 7 gasped, especially Sakura.

"But, doesn't Iwagakure have almost equal military strength to Kumogakure, and the second largest population among the five villages?"

Kakashi nodded.

"That it does, which is why it is so worrying. What's worse is the way it was destroyed."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"How exactly, was it destroyed?"

Kakashi held up his hand, holding up fingers as he talked.

"There were two major factors. First, the dragons used strategy. They attacked across a wide area. Single dragons hitting single towns and villages across all the major nations. As the dragons were attacking individually and avoiding the shinobi villages it was assumed they were simple beasts striking targets of opportunity. With all the major villages experiencing similar attacks, each village thought it was safe to spread out its shinobi across their nation in response to the attacks. The dragons then gathered into a massive army that struck the nearly empty Iwagakure and took it by surprise."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded thoughtfully. Naruto nodded with a look of apparent focus but obvious confusion.

"That implies the dragons are intelligent, and are acting as one unified force."

Kakashi nodded.

"Indeed it does. However, it is the second factor that is most worrying. It seems the Tsuchikage was able to defeat the initial attack. However, after the battle a single dragon appeared, and somehow raised the dragon army back to life. It was this second wave that destroyed the village and badly injured the Tsuchikage."

Team 7 gasped.

"Is...is that even possible?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"I found and verified this information myself. However, there is some good news. We've heard that what Naruto does to dragons after they die is absorb their souls. This supposedly will kill the dragon permanently and prevent it from being revived."

Everyone looked at Naruto. Especially Sasuke.

"So then..."

Kakashi nodded.

"If it's true, Naruto's strength will determine Konoha's fate if the dragons repeat the tactic. Therefore, training Naruto to be as strong as possible is the village's highest priority."

Sasuke brooded a little at this. Sakura just stared in disbelief at what was happening. Naruto was scarcely and not really containing his energy and giggling as he thought of Jiraiya and Kakashi training him into the strongest shinobi in the village and then beating Sasuke and then Sandaime making him Hokage and Sakura loving him. Kakashi eye-smiled.

"But remember guys, we're a team. I for one will never abandon my comrades. So we're going to train together. Naruto's a member of Team 7 so if Naruto needs to get stronger to defend the village, we all need to get stronger to defend the village together."

All three members of Team 7 gained a look of determination.

_Heck yea! I'll train a hundred, no a thousand times harder than Sasuke-teme!_

_I couldn't have asked for more. I'm not losing to you, Naruto!_

_**CHA! **I'm not going to be left behind by you two!_

Suddenly there was a flash of yellow and red and three figures were standing before the team. Sasuke and Sakura's eyes went wide.

"That's...that's..."

"Mom! Dad!"

Naruto, completely forgetting about keeping secrets, ran and hugged his parents. Minato smiled and patted his son's head.

"Hi Naruto. Hey, you wouldn't happen to know who painted all over my face this morning, would you?"

Naruto just smiled.

"Nope! But I bet they're really awesome and amazing!"

Minato smiled, amused.

"They?"

At that, Kushina looked away and tried to act casual. Minato smiled and rubbed his head.

"Oh well, I guess I probably deserve it."

Jiraiya grinned at the exchange.

"Glad you could make it, Minato. I assume it all went well then?"

Minato nodded.

"Yep! There probably won't be any major attacks for a while, so Sandaime sent us here until we're needed again. So is this your team, Naruto?"

Naruto suddenly remembered Sasuke and Sakura.

"Oh yea! Mom, Dad, this is Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme..."

Kushina gasped and then made a huge smile at Sasuke's name, while Minato chuckled at the 'teme' part.

"Sasuke, Sakura, this is my mom and dad! I'm Yondaime's son, how cool is that, dattebayo?"

All of this information and the whole exchange was just too much for Sakura to handle, and she fainted.

"Sakura-chan? Weird I thought only that Hinata girl did that, I guess it must be a girl thing, dattebayo!"

Minato chuckled again and rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Sorry Kakashi, I guess we should've let you know we were coming."

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"No problem, sensei!"

Sasuke finally recovered enough to notice the third person.

"So, if you two are alive, who is this?"

Jiraiya stepped forward and smiled.

"Sasuke, we brought him here specifically to meet you. May I introduce you to Uchiha Kagami?"

Kagami stepped forward and extended a hand to Sasuke.

"Hello, Sasuke. I've looked forward to meeting you."

Sasuke's eyes widened a little as he shook Kagami's hand.

"Kagami? Weren't you Sandaime's teammate? And Shisui's ancestor?"

Kagami nodded.

"Indeed I was."

Sasuke shook his head.

"How are you all alive?"

Minato, Kushina, and Kagami all exchanged glances. Jiraiya just shrugged.

"Might as well, we've already told them several S-class secrets today anyway."

Kagami turned back to Sasuke.

"You may want to sit down, Sasuke. It'll take a bit of explaining..."


	13. Dur Do Irkbaan

Author's Note: OBSERVER01 pointed out something I kinda overlooked. The whole if we reveal the Edo Tensei to Sasuke, Sasuke would in fact request an Uchiha Clan Revival, which will lead to some really awkward moments any way you answer it. Only three real options: actually do it and trust his parents to be loyal to the village now and hope for the best (or force them to be), major therapy no jutsu, or send Sasuke into broody hateland even faster than canon.

Darn, a Sasuke-focused chapter. Now I'm like canon. Well throwing in a side mission at least.

* * *

><p>Disclaimer: don't own Naruto or Elder Scrolls blah blah blah...<p>

* * *

><p>Chapter 13: Dur Do Irkbaan (The Curse of Hate)<p>

* * *

><p>"What do you mean, he can't revive my parents?!"<p>

Sasuke turned his back on Kagami and clenched his fists. Kagami made a sad and sympathetic face.

"Sasuke, the Edo Tensei Jutsu requires a human sacrifice for each person revived. Hokage-sama can't just use it to revive everyone who dies. He had to pick and choose the shinobi that would be most effective in defending the village, and from what my descendant said I'm stronger than your parents were."

Sasuke spun around and pointed angrily at Minato and Kushina.

"He revived both of Naruto's parents! Yondaime Hokage I can understand but what about her?!"

Kagami looked to the couple and then back to Sasuke.

"Uzumaki Kushina possesses a powerful innate ability that allows her to single-handedly subdue a biju. The Hokage believed that ability would also be useful against the dragons."

Sasuke turned away and leaped into the distance. The other shinobi move to follow but Kagami put up a hand to stop them, and then leaped after Sasuke.

* * *

><p>He quickly found Sasuke on the branch of a tall tree, sitting against the tree and holding his knees while he cried.<p>

"Sasuke, do you know that the Uchiha once had jutsu that could revive the dead?"

Sasuke jumped up, desperate hope in his eyes.

"What?! Really?"

Kagami nodded.

"It is the most powerful jutsu available to a Sharingan user, Izanagi. It is a jutsu capable of re-writing reality."

Sasuke smiled.

"Then, we can..."

However, he met eyes with Kagami and stopped as he saw the serious look in Kagami's eye.

"And it nearly destroyed the Uchiha clan in a massacre much like this one."

Sasuke stopped completely, utterly shocked at that statement. Kagami sat down.

"You might as well get comfortable, I'm going to tell you the history of the Uchiha clan. Do you know how we gain the Sharingan?"

Sasuke nodded.

"It activates when our lives are in danger, right?"

Kagami nodded.

"That is one way to activate it but not the only way. Did you know our clan feels emotions more powerfully than any other?"

Sasuke shook his head, surprised.

"We especially feel love very strongly. However, when that love is taken from us, our brains release a special kind of chakra. This chakra reacts with our eyes and activates our Sharingan. You can gain the Sharingan if you experience great personal lost as well. And if you experience extremely deep lost, such as the loss of a best friend..."

Kagami closed his eyes. When he opened them, his Sharigan had transformed. Instead of the three tomoe it now had a four-pointed pinwheel around the pupil.

"You activate the Mangekyo Sharingan, a far stronger version of the Sharingan with special abilities. But there is a downside to this. The feelings of great loss are all too easily turned into hatred by our clan, you may even say we are predisposed to do so. Nidaime Hokage even described it as a 'curse of hate' as he believed the same chakra that created the Sharingan also changed our emotions from positive to negative. That hatred leads to the kind of arrogant lust for power that has destroyed our clan over and over again. This is one story of how it did.

During the Period of Warring States, the Uchiha had gathered their entire might to face an enemy clan. It was a battle the Uchiha could not afford to lose. But it was a trap. The enemy knew what was coming and prepared for the Uchiha, and most of the clan was wiped out within seconds of the start of the battle. It was now that the leader of the Uchiha, Uchiha Rai, revealed a technique previously known only to him."

Sasuke knew where this was going.

"The Izanagi I'm guessing?"

Kagami nodded.

"He reversed the outcome of the trap and the whole clan returned to life. The enemy was caught completely off guard and crushed. However, this began a chain of events that devastated the clan."

Sasuke looked confused.

"How could a jutsu that restores us to life destroy the clan?"

Kagami sighed.

"It is said that the Uchiha are blessed with power, but again we are actually cursed with it. Our ability to gain the Sharingan and the incredible power it offers causes us to grow arrogant and negligant, especially since that power is often accompanied by hatred and despair from great loss. So we look down upon and neglect those without it, even within the clan, and we hate weakness for allowing those we love to die."

Sasuke suddenly thought back to his childhood, the years of being ignored and constantly compared to Itachi by his father, all because he lacked the abilities Itachi possessed. He thought of how he hated himself for being helpless during the masscre.

"I can see it in your eyes, you know this is true. The inevitable outcome of this is tragedy. Once the existence of the Izanagi became common knowledge among the clan, everyone wanted its power for themselves. And unfortunately, for all its power it is surprisingly easy to learn. A Sharingan is all that is required. And once they learned the Izanagi, they stopped considering the consequences of their actions, pursuing power at all costs."

Sasuke thought of Itachi, how he killed the clan just to test his own power.

"Uchiha Baru started the process. He challenged Rai for leadership of the clan. He did not think of the consequences, for with Izanagi he could change the outcome if it wasn't in his favor. Using the Izanagi, he killed Rai. But his success inspired others, and he was killed by the rest of the clan and there was a major power struggle within the clan. When the dust cleared, the jutsu was forbidden."

Sasuke looked downcast, but Kagami wasn't done.

"The story doesn't end there either, Sasuke. Unfortunately, Itachi was not the first Uchiha to murder his clan."

Sasuke looked shocked again.

"Some time after the founding of Konoha, there was an Uchiha named Naka. Naka rediscovered the Izanagi and became obsessed with it. It led him to become obsessed with his own power, and he eventually slaughtered much of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke grit his teeth. This was exactly what had happened with Itachi. Was this the Uchiha clan's fate?

"Well, what happened? Someone must have killed him, avenged the clan."

Kagami shook his head.

"Actually no one did."

Sasuke was angrily surprised.

"What do you mean?! He massacred the clan! They let him get away with it?! How did the clan survive if no one stopped him?!"

Kagami put up a hand.

"They stopped him by saving him."

Sasuke looked utterly confused.

"There was a second ultimate jutsu developed by the Uchiha in order to deal with issue of an arrogant Izanagi wielder. It is called the Izanami. It is a genjutsu utilizing all of the senses of both the target and the caster, one that is nearly impossible to break. To begin the technique, the caster selects an arbitrary moment and uses their Sharingan to remember the physical sensations both of their body and that of their opponent's during that instant. Let's call that moment A. The user must then intentionally replicate the same sensation and in the same way and then memorize that instant with their Sharingan as A'. Izanami overlaps and connects these two identical bodily sensations (A and A'), as well as the flow of time between them, creating an infinite loop of events that entraps the opponent's consciousness. The user can also use their Sharingan to remember multiple sensations, (represented as B, C and so forth) and those sensations will also be used when Izanami is activated. The user also doesn't need necessarily to replicate A with A' to initiate Izanami. They can also replicate B with B' or C with C' as well. The more sensations they memorize, the better their chances would be to initiate Izanami on a person and the more sensations the victim will experience each time they repeat a loop."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"So you can trap an opponent in an eternal genjutsu, using any of your five senses?"

Kagami nodded.

"Almost. However, this jutsu was never used in combat."

Sasuke looked surprised again.

"Why not?"

"It is a jutsu with a built-in escape route. Izanagi is a jutsu that allows the user to rewrite reality, to choose whatever reality they want. But Izanagi cannot be used to escape Izanami. Izanami can only be escaped through the opposite of Izanagi, when you stop running from the original reality. You must accept yourself and accept reality for what it is, the past for what it is, and take responsibility for your actions, learn from the past, and move forward. When you do that, the Izanami loop is broken."

Sasuke shook his head.

"Why go to all that trouble for a jutsu that can be escaped like that?"

Kagami nodded.

"This is where our story picks up. Remember, Izanami was designed to save an Uchiha comrade. After wiping out much of the clan, Uchiha Naka was confronted by his friend, Uchiha Naori. Naori trapped him in Izanami. Eventually Naka accepted himself, giving up the Izanagi and taking responsibility for the blood he had shed. He stopped taking the easy way out and set off on the harder path of accepting his strength for what it was and relying on others instead of the Izanagi shortcut. Naka and Naori would go on to rebuild the Uchiha clan together."

Sasuke shook his head.

"Surely it can't have been as easy as that."

Kagami had a sad smile.

"No, it wasn't. Though the clan was rebuilt and Naka accepted back in, the incident set off a chain of events in the village as a whole. It was this incident that led the Hyuga clan to establish their Main House Branch House system, so that the leader of the Hyuga would be insurmountably stronger than the rest of the clan and thus no one would ever be tempted to try and take power themselves. In addition, this incident separated the Uchiha from the rest of the village."

Sasuke looked surprised.

"What do you mean?"

Kagami sighed.

"No one really trusted the Uchiha clan after this. And with good reason, if the Uchiha turned on their own kin over and over again, how could you trust us not to betray the village? From that point, Nidaime Hokage kept a close eye on the Uchiha. This is why he appointed us as the police force. It would give us enough power to sate our ambition, but at the same time kept us a hands length from the rest of the village, keeping us from amassing too much power."

Sasuke looked stunned. He had never noticed before, but now that he thought back he remembered hearing about tension between the clan and the village.

"Wait, weren't you one of Nidaime Hokage's right hand men? And you were an Uchiha!"

Kagami nodded.

"There are exceptions to our clan's fate, Sasuke. Not everyone in the clan became obsessed with power. If you learn to love others, to think of others before yourself and try to work for the benefit of your comrades instead of your own personal goals, you can escape the curse of hatred. I saw myself not as an Uchiha but just another shinobi of Konoha. Uchiha Naori was another. There were two more."

Sasuke bent his head, curious.

"Who were they?"

Kagami took a deep breathe.

"My descendant, Shisui...and your brother, Itachi."

Sasuke went ballistic at this and slammed Kagami in the stomach.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ITACHI?! HE KILLED EVERYONE! HE HAD THIS CURSE OF HATE MORE THAN ALL OF US!"

Kagami waited as Sasuke wailed on him, tears flowing down his eyes.

"Sasuke, I haven't been completely honest with you. I've spoken as if Itachi was consumed by the curse of hate. But it was actually the opposite."

Sasuke just glared at Kagami, as if daring him to speak more. And so he did.

"Sasuke, do you have any idea of the relationship between the clan and the village around the time of massacre?"

Sasuke grunted.

"Now that you mention it it was a little tense, but what does that have to do with..."

Kagami cut him off.

"Everything. You were too young to know, but it was complete hostility."

Sasuke looked surprised.

"You see, the Uchiha were suspected of being behind the Kyubi attack, as our Sharingan is capable of influencing biju. The Uchiha responded badly, becoming much harsher and brutal in their duties as the police force. They started giving in to their ambition and hate, becoming arrogant towards the rest of the village. Before the massacre, your father was planning a coup."

Sasuke jumped again.

"No way! There's no way my father or the clan would do something like that!"

Kagami looked sad.

"Unfortunately it's happened more than once. Madara, Naka...many Uchiha believed they deserved more because of the power they were born with. But this time, the whole clan was in on it. Only two members of the entire clan opposed it, though in secret: Shisui and Itachi."

Sasuke was watching Kagami warily, but said nothing.

"At first they just reported on the situation to Sandaime, who wanted to negotiate an agreement. But the situation was growing worse faster than Sandaime could negotiate. They came up with a plan to stop it. Shisui was going to use his Mangekyo Sharingan to convince your father to negotiate with Sandaime. However, before he could he was killed. From there the situation got worse and worse, and it looked like a coup was inevitable. Against Sandaime's wishes, one the councilors convinced Itachi to do something..."

Sasuke's face contorted in rage.

"Are you saying Itachi was ordered to kill everyone?! And how do you know all this?! You were dead!"

Sasuke though, suddenly noticed Kagami had tears in his eyes.

"Sasuke...Sandaime told me everything that happened. Itachi had asked him not to tell you, but he told me since I'm an Uchiha too, I could decide for myself whether or not to tell you. I think you deserve to know the truth of what happened to us. So, do you realize what would have happened if there was coup?"

Sasuke stopped for a moment.

"The ANBU would have burned the Uchiha quarter to the ground, but not without a fight. There would have been a civil war between the village and the clan. But Konoha's too big. We would have lost, and every last Uchiha would have died. But it gets worse. The damage we would have inflicted would have been too great. Konoha would have been fatally weakened, and the other villages would have responded. All out war would have broken out, and Konoha itself would likely have been destroyed."

Sasuke grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

"It can't be true! Itachi...he was crazy! He told me he killed everyone to test his own power! That's exactly what the curse of hate does! And he made me relive it for days in a genjutsu!"

Kagami put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Sasuke, Itachi loved you. He sealed his own heart and killed the rest of the clan. But he couldn't kill you."

Sasuke grunted but had a flashback to that night. He suddenly remembered something he hadn't before. He chased after Itachi and knocked off his forehead protector. And before he blacked out he had one final image...it was of Itachi weeping.

"But he thought you wouldn't be able to handle the truth and the pain and hatred would destroy you like it did the clan. So he did the only thing he could to help you survive: he became the enemy. He became the focal point for all your rage, all of your hatred. It is his hope that he will absorb your hatred, so that when you finally avenge the clan, he will take your hatred with him into the grave."

Sasuke just shook his head.

"It can't be true. He...murdered everyone...tortured me..."

Sasuke began crying. Kagami just watched him for a while, and finally Sasuke began speaking.

"Then...I'll kill them! I'll kill those who made Itachi do this, who destroyed our clan."

Kagami looked at Sasuke with such a strong look that Sasuke flinched.

"Sasuke...that's the very thing that destroyed our clan. Yes, there are those in Konoha who did not help the situation, those who weren't sad about the Uchiha's destruction. But ultimately, it was our hatred and arrogance that destroyed us. Remember, even before this happened, we nearly destroyed ourselves without anyone's help, multiple times. The only difference was this time we planned to drag the village into it. If you are going to destroy anything, destroy your hate. Learn to love again.

Kagami placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder, and knelt so his eyes were level with Sasuke's.

"Sasuke, the way out of this is not vengeance or hate. The reason Nidaime trusted me when he feared the rest of our clan was I learned not to look down upon those outside our clan, but to view them as our comrades, as important to me as the clan. Just because they are not Uchiha does not mean they can't become like family to you. Naori saw past her hate, the pain of losing her entire clan, and was thus able to save both Naka and the whole clan. Shisui and Itachi tried to do the same, but they could only overcome their own hate and not the clan's. Sasuke, you are the last hope of the Uchiha. If you give in the hate and vengeance, then our clan truly is lost. But if you fight, if you strive, if you find a better way, like Naori you can save the Uchiha clan, not just from destruction, but from its own fate. You can start a new Uchiha clan, one free from the curse. But only if you escape this curse yourself."

Sasuke wiped his eyes.

"How can I? How can I possibly let this go? Do you want me to just forget?"

Kagami shook his head.

"Don't forget. Don't forget your family, the love, the pain. But don't let it control you. Let it inspire you. Find new family, new friends. Find comrades you trust with your life, and begin to build bonds, let others in. Only then can your heart begin to heal. Sasuke, trust me. Look at my eyes. You only get these eyes when you lose one of the most important people in your life. I've been where you are now. Give my way a try."

Sasuke looked back at Kagami.

"What if you're wrong? What if I can't let this go? What if Itachi really is a monster?"

Kagami again put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Then as an Uchiha, I will help you defeat him. And I'm stronger than he is, at least that what's Sandaime tells me Shisui thought."

Sasuke nodded, satisfied at least with that. He stood up, took a breath, and leaped into a new world.

* * *

><p>Sasuke returned to the training field to find everyone looking at him, worried looks in their eyes. He looked especially at Yondaime.<p>

_Yondaime Hokage. You represent everything this village stands for._ _If it's all true...can I really forgive you, forgive the village, for what it did to Itachi? My family?_

But as Sasuke was pondering these things, he was suddenly tackled in a hug by Kushina.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke! Our generation wanted to protect yours but all we did was cause you pain. I wasn't there for Naruto, but now I've been given a second chance. Mikoto was my best friend, Sasuke, so I'll be here for you too! Please, Sasuke, don't let the pain consume you. Let us be your new family."

Sasuke closed his eyes, a tear falling down it.

_Find...a new family? Not alone anymore..._

Sasuke hid the tear, but he let Kushina hug him for a bit more, Minato and Kagami smiling. Kushina let go and Naruto walked over to Sasuke. Sakura was expecting some sort of outburst over his family showing such love to his greatest rival. But to Sakura's great surprise, Naruto just stuck his hand out to Sasuke.

"I guess that makes us brothers! But there's no way I'm losing to my younger brother, Sasuke!"

Sasuke smiled and grabbed Naruto's hand.

"Dobe, I'm older than you!"

Naruto pointed angrily at Sasuke.

"Teme! I know that! But I'm my parent's first kid and you just joined the family! That makes you the younger brother!"

Everyone chuckled at the pair's antics, though Sakura's happiness quickly turned to jealously at not being a part of Sasuke's family. Kakashi stepped forward, smiling.

"Well, I'm glad we're all one big family now. So who's ready for training?"

Team 7 looked around again at the vast array of legendary shinobi around them and determined smirks grew on their faces.

-Hokage's Office, some time later-

Sandaime looked up at the visitor he had.

"Kagami is that you? What can I do for you?"

Kagami had a serious face.

"Hiruzen...I told him...I told him everything."

Sandaime looked worried.

"And? Is he all right?"

Kagami smiled.

"I think he will be. I'm sure he's confused and has a lot of hate to get rid of, but he's at least going to give the village a chance."

Sandaime breathed a puff of smoke.

"Kagami, did you...?"

Kagami shook his head.

"I'm good but not that good. He had to come to this decision himself, who knows what would result if I tried to force him to accept it. I did use my Sharingan to keep him a bit calmer during the conversation, but only so he could think straight. He has Sharingan now too, so he would have noticed if I was doing anything more anyways."

Sandaime smiled.

"Kagami you had more faith in him than any of us did. I'm glad you're back."

-Town in Hi no Kuni, nighttime-

Ino stretched as she waited on the roof. As a vampire she wasn't sleepy, but she was getting bored just waiting here. She looked at the kunoichi around her.

"Kurenai-sensei?" She asked with a barely audible whisper.

"What is it Ino?"

Ino pointed to her teammates.

"Well I know why I'm here, and you're a jonin, but why did they send Tenten and Hinata to fight vampires? Especially Hinata, won't she get infected up close?"

Kurenai looked at the genin. It was a good question, maybe Shikamaru was rubbing off on the girl? But she also seemed bored, so Kurenai wasn't sure.

"Tenten is the best long range fighter out of you genin, so she can keep her distance. And Hinata was on the team that got turned into werewolves, remember? Serana told us werewolves are immune to the vampire pathogen, so she should be fine, and her Byakugan evens the odds at night."

Ino nodded. The team made a lot more sense now. As Ino tried thinking of another question, she sensed someone walking down the street. Someone with chakra, but who did not feel alive.

"Hinata, I feel someone coming."

Hinata nodded and activated her Byakugan and gasped.

"Behind us!"

The kunoichi leaped forward at the building exploded behind them. As they landed in the street a group of shinobi landed in front of them, the man Ino had sensed walking into the light of one of the street lamps.

"So it's true, you Konoha shinobi are catching on to us. And four lovely ladies no less! Excellent, we were preparing to feed soon anyways."

The shinobi bared fangs and prepared to leap forward, but Tenten immediately threw kunai with explosive tags in front of them, forcing them to leap back and obscuring them in a cloud of smoke.

"They're coming at 3 and 10 o clock!"

Tenten launched a wave of kunai into the smoke cloud in the directions Hinata called. She heard hisses and growls as the vampires were forced to dodge. Ino suddenly saw a dark figure appearing in the cloud directly in front of Hinata. She gasped and was about to call out a warning when Hinata suddenly sprang forward.

"HA!"

Hinata slammed her palm into the figure's chest. There was a gasp and the figure took a step back, then collapsed.

_Wow, Hinata's really good! I didn't expect that from her, I always thought she would be really scared in combat._

"Ino! Behind you!"

Ino suddenly felt weaker and was surrounded by red light. She turned around and saw a vampire smirking at her. Ino just yawned and stuck out her hand, a stream of her own red light appearing and canceling the effect. The vampire looked shocked.

"What the? Are you...?"

Ino grinned.

"Yea, and you waited too long by the way."

Ino made a handsign and was quickly transferred into the vampire's body.

"Quick Tenten!"

Tenten through a kunai at the captive vampire. As the kunai got close Ino released the jutsu. The vampire had no time to respond and the kunai slammed into its head.

As the dust cleared the genin saw Kurenai walk up to a vampire who seemed as if it were tied to an invisible tree, and calmly slit its throat. They were all somewhat frightened that Kurenai did so very casually and naturally. The four then turned to the man who had spoke, the last of his comrades. He just sighed.

"Oh well, always hated them anyways."

The shinobi pulled out kunai, Kurenai in the lead.

"You seem pretty relaxed given the situation."

The man chuckled.

"Well you see..."

The kunoichis' eyes all widened as the man appeared behind Kurenai.

"They don't really compare to me."

Kurenai barely had time to lift her hands and block as the man's fist flew towards her. She grunted as it hit her arms, and was sent flying into a wall. The man turned to the stunned shinobi.

"Now, where were we?"

The kunoichi gulped. If he could take out Kurenai, what chance did they have?

"I think I'll let you play with my friends for a bit while I stretch out."

The man performed some handsigns.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

With that several skeletons appeared and surrounded the three. Ino gulped as she stood with her back against Tenten and Hinata.

"Don't worry you two, I've fought these before. They were really weak last time!"

Tenten gasped as one of the skeletons suddenly appeared in front of her, a kunai in hand, barely blocking with a kunai of her own. The man laughed.

"Oh please, you must be referring to those relics you can find in caves, right? Those are ancient, haven't been updated in millennia. These are of my own creation, they use an, updated template shall we say?"

The kunoichi scattered, doing their best to dodge the skeleton shinobi. Ino got a few scratches here and there but as a vampire she was immune to minor injuries and so far was able to avoid major damage. Hinata seemed to be dodging the attacks, her natural flexibility and Byakugan aiding her immensely. But Tenten was having trouble, and gasped as a kunai grazed her cheek. And even though Ino and Hinata weren't taking much damage, they also weren't making much headway. It appeared as if they were going to be in trouble very soon.

"Guys, we need to get out of here! We aren't going to last very long!"

To her surprise, it was Hinata who seemed to have a solution.

"Uh guys, try to get out of here! I'll hold them off!"

With that Hinata lurched forward and started growing, fur appearing on her now huge muscles. Soon the transformation was complete and she let out a roar. She grabbed the two nearest skeletons and slammed them together, then went into a fury, slashing at everything nearby. The vampire stood up.

"Ooo, a werewolf? You cute little thing? You shinobi are just full of surprises, aren't you? It's been too long since I've killed a werwolf!"

With that the vampire vanished, planting a kick into Hinata's chest. She staggered back, then roared and leaped at the vampire. He deftly rolled under her wild swipe and slashed at her leg. Hinata roared in pain. Before she could respond, he slammed an uppercut into her chin, sending her flying back. Ino watched in horror as the vampire walked up and planted his foot on top of her, holding her down as he took a kunai and moved toward Hinata's throat. Hinata slowly reverted back to human form...

"Well, I suppose even a young werewolf is still young. Still, not bad for one your age. I think I'll even keep your hide to remember you bye."

"HINATA!"

Ino had tears in her eyes when Tenten grabbed her.

"Ino! Get around the corner, quick! I have an anti-vampire weapon!"

Ino didn't know what Tenten meant but was too shaken up to argue and jumped for the nearest alleyway. As Ino leaped away, Tenten pulled out a scroll, unsealed the sword inside, and lifted it high. Ino closed her eyes in pain as there was a blinding, burning flash of light from the direction of the street.

The skeletons burned to ash around Tenten, and the vampire hissed and took a step back off Hinata, trying to shield him face from the light with his hands.

"GAH! W-where? Where did you get that?!"

Tenten took another step forward, as she did Dawnbreaker seemed to shine even brighter, causing the vampire to his and stumble backwards, falling to the ground.

"Oh just a little relic I found in a cave. Hadn't been used in millennia or something like that. I wonder if I can update it though?"

With that Tenten began channeling chakra toward the sword as she stepped toward and over Hinata.

"Dawnbreaker: Kurenjingu-en no Jutsu (Cleansing Flame Jutsu)!"

A huge wave of fire shot out in all directions from Dawnbreaker. The vampire cried out in terror before vanishing in the flame. Tenten let out a huge sigh as she resealed the sword. Ino stepped out from the alleyway she hid in, rubbing her eyes.

"Wow, what was that Tenten?!"

Tenten was practically beaming.

"Oh, some legendary anti-undead weapon I found!"

She pointed around at the small bits of flame all over the street and even on the buildings.

"I can't really control it yet though, so I didn't want to use it while you were here."

As they spoke, Hinata stirred.

"Uh, w-what happened?"

The other two kunoich crouched down and held Hinata as she sat up.

"Careful, you got knocked out by the vampire, but then Tenten saved us with some special weapon she had!"

Hinata looked up at Tenten.

"Wow really?! It must be really strong, Tenten! That guy even beat Kurenai-sensei!"

Tenten at first was beaming until Hinata mentioned Kurenai. Then all three kunoichi leaped up at once.

"Kurenai-sensei!"

With that, the three leaped into the rubble to try and find their lost sensei.

-Oto no Kuni (Land of Sound)-

A shinobi gulped as he descended deeper into the underground hideout. He grateful for the asylum, but he would never get used to his benefactor.

"O-Orochimaru-sama, a new report."

A snake moved out of the darkness and took the scroll from the shinobi's hand. He tried to repress the urge to shiver.

"Kukuku, an interesting toy. This year's genin are an interesting bunch. Who knew such things were just lying around, waiting to be discovered?"


	14. Vulon wah Dahmaan

Author's Note: Gosh darn it Sasuke, stop working yourself into this story. How do you keep doing this? Anyways. Throwing in another side quest to compensate. Hopefully we can get off Sasuke after this. Hopefully...

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><p>Disclaimer: I don't own things like Naruto or Elder Scrolls. Any of the things. Anything. *sob<p>

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><p>-Chapter 14: Vulon wah Dahmaan (Nights to Remember)-<p>

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><p>-Training Field 15-<p>

Naruto watched as Kagami and Kakashi took Sasuke to another training field and Jiraiya took Sakura back towards the village. Somewhere deep down in his mind, he had a drop of sadness that the whole team wouldn't be training together, but who cares? He was about to be trained by Yondaime Hokage! Naruto was grinning from ear to ear, holding his hands up in fists near his face, practically exploding in anticipation of the incredible jutsu he was soon to learn. Minato and Kushina grinned at their son's excitement.

"So, Naruto, ready to begin?"

Naruto suddenly appeared at his dad's feet.

"Heck yea! What amazing jutsu are you going to teach me, Dad?"

Minato chuckled and pat his son's head, and looked to Kushina, who sighed.

"How come you get all the love? I'm an awesome ninja too, dattebane!"

Minato made a guilty smile.

"Sorry, I was the Hokage after all."

Minato looked back to his son.

"Actually Naruto, from what Kakashi says your jutsu choice and style are closer to your mom's, so she's going to train you first."

Naruto ran over to his mom, staring at her with the same excited, somewhat pleading eyes he had for Yondaime Hokage. She must be really powerful because she was Yondaime's wife!

"See? He loves you just as much."

Kushina glared at Minato.

"Well he better! I'm his mother, dattebane!"

She then smiled at Naruto.

"Want to see a cool jutsu, Naruto?"

Naruto nodded his head as hard as he could.

Kushina turned to a tree. Naruto gasped as several chains made of chakra came out of her back, then shot forward, wrapping around the tree. Kushina then squeezed the tree with the chains until it snapped into pieces. She turned around smugly.

"How was that, Naruto? This jutsu can even restrain the Kyu..."

Kushina didn't need to finish, Naruto was already crouched down, grabbing her.

"That was so cool, dattebayo! Please teach me, Mom!"

Kushina flashed a victorious smile at Minato who just shook his head smiling.

"I never could win against you, Kushina."

Kushina kept her smug smile and then looked back on her son.

"Naruto, make as many Kage Bunshin as you can!"

Naruto nodded and formed his signature handsign.

"Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Naruto formed a few hundred clones. Kushina smiled.

"Not bad, Naruto! Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Kushina formed an equal number of clones. Naruto took a step back.

"Whoa! I thought I was the only one who could do that, dattebayo!"

Kushina giggled a little.

"Where do you think you got it? I have way more chakra than your dad, dattebane!"

Naruto just looked in shock.

"Whoa! You have more chakra than Dad?"

Kushina grinned.

"Of course! The Uzumaki Clan is famous for our stamina, dattebane!"

Naruto grinned, but then scratched his head in confusion.

"Wait, Mom, how are Kage Bunshin going to help me learn jutsu?"

Kushina looked surprised for a second.

"Oh right, I didn't notice either at first. Naruto catch!"

Kushina threw a piece of mochi at the nearest Naruto clone.

"Go ahead, eat it, then dispel!"

The clone did so. Naruto smiled.

"Mmm that was good!"

Kushina and Minato smiled and waited.

"Wait, how I can taste it when I didn't eat any?"

Kushina nodded.

"Anything your clones learn, you learn too when they dispel! So if you make a hundred clones and have them train a jutsu, it's like you training that jutsu a hundred times at once!"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Whoa! That's awesome, dattebayo! So I can learn a jutsu really fast if I use Kage Bunshin?"

Kushina nodded.

"Yep! Just don't do it if you have anything else to do today!"

Naruto looked confused.

"Huh? Why not?"

"You don't just gain their knowledge! If they get tired, when they dispel you'll feel tired too! So if a hundred clones train and get exhausted, when they dispel you'll probably fall asleep immediately, dattebane!"

Naruto smiled.

"No problem! I try to train that hard anyways, dattebayo! Let's do this!"

Minato and Kushina smiled even more. And so the training began.

-Training Field 58-

Sasuke stood before his tutors, Sharingan active. Uchiha Kagami, one of the most powerful wielders of the Sharingan, ready to train him. Kakashi stepped forward.

"Well Sasuke, let's show Kagami where you're at and review what we've been training recently."

Sasuke nodded. He copied the high-speed motion Kakashi had showed him at an earlier training session, demonstrating a number of advanced taijutsu moves. Finally he performed some handsigns, gathering chakra into his hands.

"Chidori!"

Sasuke jabbed his hand towards a boulder, causing a blast that made a huge crater in the boulder. Kagami nodded.

"I see, so you've been exploiting the Sharingan's copy abilities, making him perform advanced taijutsu to boost his speed. A novel idea, I can see why you're famous with our Sharingan, Kakashi. So Sasuke, what do you know of genjutsu? Try to use one on me if you can."

Sasuke performed some handsigns. Kagami froze for a second as some vines grew beneath him, wrapping around his feet.

"Impressive, an advanced genjutsu especially for your age, but..."

Sasuke gasped. Suddenly it was his feet the vines were wrapping around.

"In the Sharingan you have a powerful genjutsu tool at your disposal, both for using it and countering it. Kakashi may be known as the Copy Ninja but it was the Sharingan's genjutsu abilities that were most feared, and it's those aspects of the Sharingan I was best with. Since Kakashi is already teaching you how to use the other aspects, how about we start there?"

-Konoha Hospital Research Lab-

Tsunade was bent over a microscope looking at a cell culture when the door slammed open.

"Yo! Tsunade!"

Tsunade jumped, accidentally knocking the microscope and culture on the floor. She turned slowly to see who the dead man at the door was. She saw Jiraiya, grinning his stupid grin and waving at her. She stood motionless for a second, vein bulging at her head, before stepping forward and slamming Jiraiya, sending him flying out the door and into the hallway wall.

"Idiot! What do you think you're doing, going around yelling like that in a hospital?! Do you know how long it took to grow that culture?!"

She then noticed a young girl crouching next to the extremely dazed Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sama? Are you ok?"

"Jiraiya, what's going on?"

Jiraiya shook his head clear of the stars.

"Just a little something for you, a hobby maybe."

Jiraiya motioned and the girl stepped forward, nervous at first but with some determination underneath.

"Hello, Tsunade-sama, I'm Haruno Sakura. Please, make me your apprentice!"

Tsunade turned to her. She couldn't be older than twelve, barely out of the Academy from the looks of it. She turned to Jiraiya.

"And what makes you think I'm training anybody?"

Jiraiya motioned aimlessly as he talked.

"Oh you know. Someone else for you to wail on besides me."

Jiraiya stepped to the right, dodging the follow-up blow.

"Besides, from what I hear this girl is intelligent, has nearly perfect chakra control, and has a strong spirit. She's the perfect medic-nin candidate. Oh and she's Naruto and Sasuke's teammate, by the way."

Tsunade looked at the girl, the determination in her eyes. She thought back to her time with Orochimaru and Jiraiya, striving hard to keep up with them.

"Fine. Haruno Sakura, just know from now on I won't go easy on you!"

"Hai!"

Jiraiya turned.

"Well if that's all, I'll be on my way then."

As he left, Jiraiya smiled. Sakura had no idea what she was in for.

-Forest of Death, nighttime-

Sasuke was walking through the forest. It had since become safe as most of the creatures within kept their distance from a vampire. He enjoyed the solitude, but tonight he would not.

Sasuke stopped. In front of him four figures emerged.

"So it's true, he likes to come here alone at night."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, glancing at their forehead protectors.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The lead nin smiled.

"Hehehe, the Sound Four's West Gate, Sakon".

The only kunoichi stepped forward.

"The North Gate, Tayuya."

A very large shinobi stepped forward.

"The South Gate, Jirobo."

A shinobi with six arms stepped forward.

"The East Gate, Kidomaru."

Sakon then chuckled.

"Shall we begin?"

Sasuke's eyes widened Sakon launched a punch, barely blocking it with his arm, Kidomaru following behind. Sasuke leaped over Sakon and landed on Kidomaru's back, then kicked Sakon in the stomach. As he did, Jirobo prepared to attack. Sasuke flipped, grabbing Kidomaru's back and tossing him into Jirobo. As the pair collided they vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind logs. Sasuke turned to see all four standing behind him, and smirked.

"I don't know why you four are here, but you picked the worse place and time to fight me."

Sakon just smiled.

"Is that so? I'll handle this. Here, let me play a nice melody on your ribs!"

Sakon started charging at Sasuke. Sasuke smirked and held out his palm. A red light appeared, illuminating Sakon, with small red orbs moving from Sakon to Sasuke's hand. Sakon's eyes widened as his charge slowed.

_What's this? It feels like the life is being drained out of me!_

Sakon fell to the ground, then Sasuke appeared in front of him, ready to kick. As Sasuke's foot moved towards his face, a third arm appeared from his body and blocked the kick. Sasuke's eyes widened a bit but he spun around to launch a punch instead. A fourth arm appeared and grabbed his fist, then Sakon slammed his own fist into Sasuke's chest, sending him back. Kidomaru jumped in front of him, spitting web at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked with his arms, but then Kidomaru grabbed the line of web now attached to Sasuke's arms and swung it, sending Sasuke hurtling towards Jirobo, who punched Sasuke into a tree. Sakon gathered his strength and stood back up.

"Well that was surprising, I'll give you that. Still I don't know what Orochimaru-sama wants with a weakling like you..."

The four were surprised though when Sasuke walked out of the dust of the collision with the tree, barely affected. Sasuke yawned.

"You'll need something stronger than that to hurt me. Now, tell me why are you in Konoha?"

Sakon's surprise turned into a smile.

"Not bad kid, you might have some promise. Talent like yours doesn't deserve to rot here, playing with your little friends. Come with us, Orochimaru will make you into one heck of a shinobi. He'll give you the strength you need..."

The Sound Four sneered.

"...to kill Itachi!"

The Four were somewhat surprised as Sasuke didn't seem to react to Itachi's name. He merely closed his eyes.

"You four don't know anything...do you?"

Sasuke opened his eyes, Sharingan active, glaring straight into Sakon's eyes. Sakon gasped and froze. Tayuya quickly closed her eyes and placed her hand on Sakon.

"Kai!"

Sakon shook his head.

"Genjutsu eh? You're going to see, Sasuke, that you can only go so far here."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Four.

"No matter what you say, I'm never going to betray my comrades!"

Sakon frowned.

"Hm, you sound like you mean it. In that case..."

Sakon nodded to Tayuya, who began playing her flute. Sasuke gasped as his arms were held up, impaled on spikes.

_Genjutsu? How did it work against my Sharingan?_

Sakon walked up to Sasuke, and pulled on his collar to reveal the cursed seal.

"Let's just remove this protective seal here, kai!"

Sakon released the seal containing the curse mark. Sasuke gasped in pain as it began spreading across his body.

"Hehehe, without that seal the curse mark's spreading quickly. Once it covers your body, you'll lose all free will. You could have been one of us, Sasuke, but now you're nothing more than a slave, a possession."

Sasuke grit his teeth as the Four laughed at him. He gasped again as the curse mark spread.

_It's sucking up my chakra! Wait...it feels like it's taking my chakra...and using it to generate some other chakra. Well you're not the only one who can do that!_

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, envisioning his hunger again. He directed it towards the chakra the curse seal was generating, trying to reverse the flow of chakra. As he did he felt a powerful surge of chakra, as if he were drawing chakra from outside. As he did, his body began transforming. His skin turned gray, his ears grew and became pointed, and his hair grew to his waist. Wings sprouted on his back, a four-point star mark appeared on his face, and claws grew on his hands. His fangs grew massive, and his Sharingan started glowing with a golden-red hue. He felt power surge into him from all around, not noticing that the grass around him turned brown and withered.

"That...That's not possible...how did you...?"

Sasuke snarled at the four, his voice dark and evil.

"**I'm a vampire shinobi of Konoha. I'll embrace the darkness to protect those important to me!"**

Sakon made a handsign.

"No choice now, let's go everyone!"

The Sound Four all activated their curse seals straight to the second level, becoming red-skinned and mutated as they did. Sasuke pulled back his wings, then launched himself forward with both his wings and his feet, flying fist forward towards Sakon. Jirobo stepped in front of him and grabbed his fist, a small shockwave flying out as they collided. Jirobo began smiling and draining Sasuke's chakra.

"Your chakra tastes cold and dead, but it will do!"

Sasuke pulled back his free hand, a large orb of red energy gathering in it. Jirobo's smile vanished as it did.

"**I'm a vampire, you think you can suck the life out of me?**"

Sasuke swung the orb into Jirobo. It exploded in a huge blast of red energy. Jirobo screamed and his curse seal transformation receded. He fell to the ground, limp.

Kidomaru clenched his teeth and jumped in front.

"Darn you! Kumosōkai!"

Kidomaru shot a massive web forward. But Sasuke launched with his wings and flew away from the web, then up and above it once he was far enough away. He looked back towards the Four and barely had enough time to dodge a golden arrow. Sasuke charged forward, using his Sharingan to see and dodge arrows.

Tayuya clenched her teeth.

"What the !U%, Kidomaru?! I thought you said your #* %-ing accuracy was 120% in this mode?!"

Kidomaru frowned as he launched another arrow.

"He has the Sharingan and wings! I don't see you doing anything!"

Sakon cut them off.

"Enough you two! I'll deal with this, use your summons and distract him!"

Tayuya and Kidomaru bit their fingers as Sasuke flew down towards them.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Three large and muscular demons and a giant spider appeared. Tayuya began playing her flute and the demons leaped towards Sasuke, who easily maneuvered around them with his wings and Sharingan. The spider spawned a huge wave of spiderlings, who spread out and began laying webs in preparation for Sasuke's landing. Sasuke performed some handsigns.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"**

Sasuke used his powerful new chakra to shoot a massive fireball, incinerating the spiderlings and spider queen. As landed the three demons landed behind him, about to strike him. Sasuke gathered chakra to his hand. Instead of the normal blue, black and red lightning appeared around his hand.

"**Chidori!"**

Sasuke spun around, slashing behind him across the demons' chests. They roared in pain and vanished in puffs of smoke. Sasuke began walking towards Tayuya and Kidomaru, who had looks of pure terror.

Suddenly Sakon leaped onto Sasuke's back and fused with him.

"Yo."

Sasuke turned and saw Sakon's neck and head sticking out his. Sasuke smiled an evil smile.

"**You though it was a good idea to merge your cells with a vampire's?"**

Sasuke envisioned his hunger again, targeting it towards Sakon's cells. Sakon smile vanished and he began screaming.

"Brother! Help me!"

Ukon leaped onto a tree, watching.

"You idiot! Get out of there!"

Sakon tried to exit Sasuke's body, but it was as if Sasuke's cells had latched onto his. Sakon's face grew tired, and the curse mark transformation receded from it. He started breathing heavily.

"B..brother..."

Sakon's neck and face slowing began sinking into Sasuke's body. Soon there wasn't a trace left. The remaining Oto-nin grit their teeth.

"**So...who's next?"**

However, the three remaining shinobi suddenly fell over unconscious. A Konoha nin then leaped out into the clearing.

"Sasuke?! Is that you?!"

Sasuke looked at the newcomer.

"**Kagami?"**

"Sorry Sasuke."

The shinobi looked into Sasuke's eyes, and then Sasuke's world went dark.

-Konoha Hospital-

Serana opened the door. There, she found Sasuke lying in bed, unconscious. Around the bed was Sandaime Hokage, and a few other shinobi she didn't recognize.

"So this is her?"

"Yes."

Serana looked around.

"You wanted to see me, Hokage, uh, sama?"

Sandaime nodded.

"Yes, thank you for coming, Serana. These are my students, Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin, and this is my friend, Uchiha Kagami."

They all exchanged greetings.

"I won't keep you waiting. Kagami has something to show you."

Serana turned to Kagami, who activated his Sharingan and looked into Serana's eyes. She gasped as she saw an image of Sasuke, transformed. Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"It seems Sasuke was attacked by some of Orochimaru's subordinates last night. We've learned from them that they activated the curse seal Orochimaru put on Sasuke. But apparently when it activated, something happened to Sasuke that has no precedent, at least not from what they know of Orochimaru's experiments. Given his condition, we wondering if you could shed any light on this?"

Serana thought for a moment.

"His form looked similar to that of a vampire lord. It is the most powerful form a vampire can assume, and only available to pure-blooded vampires and those they choose to share their blood with. If the vampire that turned Sasuke was from my clan, he would have some of that blood. But this is strange. The ability to become a vampire lord normally isn't passed by accidental infection like Sasuke's, and his form wasn't exactly that of a vampire lord, maybe the curse seal you mentioned interacted with his vampire blood somehow?"

Sandaime nodded.

"That's what we guessed, as well. Thank you for confirming, Serana. Is this something to be worried about?"

Serana shook her head.

"You remain conscious in vampire lord form, it's not that much harder to control than our normal vampire urges, so it shouldn't be dangerous...except to anyone Sasuke's fighting."

All the shinobi in the room nodded.

"Yes from what we've gathered from our captives, the battle was not going favorably for them when Kagami arrived. It seems he saved them from Sasuke rather than the other way around. Thank you, Serana. I think we'll leave Sasuke sleeping for the time being, let him recover from the battle. Would you mind coming back with us to fill him in when he wakes up? Just in case there's anything you should let him know about the transformation himself."

Serana nodded.

"Sure."

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><p>Sasuke yawned and awoke, stretching his arms.<p>

"Ah, you're awake, good."

Sasuke looked around the room. Sandaime Hokage, Jiraiya, Kagami, and Serana were all standing around his bed.

"Hm, this is about the attack, isn't it?"

Sandaime let out a puff of smoke.

"Ah, good, you remember."

Sasuke nodded.

"Yea, I remember everything, up to Kagami arriving."

Kagami rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Sorry Sasuke, I wasn't sure what had happened to you, so I put you under until we could figure out what was going on."

Sasuke nodded.

"So what did happen?"

Sandaime looked at him.

"As far as we can tell, the curse seal Orochimaru placed on you interacted with your vampire blood somehow. Serana says you transformed into what looked like a vampire lord, an extremely powerful vampire form, when it happened."

He turned to Serana.

"Yes, you looked a lot like a vampire lord, but not exactly. It is the most powerful form a vampire can take, greatly increasing your physical and vampiric capabilities as well as giving you access to powerful blood magic. The problem is normally only pure-blooded vampires and those we choose to share our blood with can become vampire lords. Even if the vampire who infected you was pure-blooded, because the infection was unintentional you shouldn't be able to transform like this."

Sandaime turned back to Sasuke.

"Thank you, Serana. Now Sasuke, can you tell us what happened from your end, anything that might help us determine what happened?"

Sasuke thought for a moment.

"When the curse seal activated it felt like it was sucking my chakra, and using it to generate a different, more powerful chakra. I tried to use my vampire draining power to stop it. It felt like the flow of chakra reversed, and the new chakra was added to mine. I'm not sure where it was coming from, though, since it stopped draining my chakra. It felt like it was drawing power from outside of me."

Sandaime and Jiraiya looked at each other.

"I was always suspicious Orochimaru had mastered it."

"Yes, it looks that way."

Sasuke looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes in thought before starting.

"What you describe sounds close to an ability I have: senjutsu. Senjutsu allows you to draw in 'natural energy', the energy of natural all around you, and combine it with your chakra. It allows you to enter 'sage mode,' which takes your abilities to a whole new level, but if not perfectly mastered it can cause your body to transform, sometimes irrevocably. As you normally learn it from summoning animals, the transformation is normally into whatever creature you learned it from, toads in my case, and if Orochimaru learned it from his snakes that would explain a great deal about him. It sounds like Orochimaru's curse seals utilize some form of sage mode chakra generated by taking the user's normal chakra. My guess is in your case, your vampiric abilities allowed you to draw in life force from everything around you to generate the chakra instead. Then, because you used your vampiric abilities to power it, your transformation exacerbated your vampire traits, into this sort of vampire form Serana described."

Sasuke was thoughtful as well.

"Hm, my vampire abilities were much stronger when it happened."

Sandaime looked serious.

"The sage chakra the curse seal generates belongs to Orochimaru, which is why it can affect your mind like your attackers said. It sounds like your vampire abilities removed some of that influence, but there's no telling to what extent. Though you seemed to maintain control, I would advise against repeating the transformation if possible."

Jiraiya nodded as well.

"As mentioned, senjutsu is not without risks. It's extremely dangerous to those who haven't been trained, in fact you need massive chakra reserves to even attempt learning it otherwise the natural energy will overwhelm you, and many have perished trying to learn it. I don't know how this curse seal works and how it is able to draw on natural energy, so until we do it's not safe to use it."

Kagami nodded his agreement.

"Also, because it relies on your vampiric ability to drain life, it is dangerous not just to you, but those around you. Both of the shinobi you made contact with died. Not only that, all the plants that were within a certain radius of you died, and insects were specifically avoiding getting close to you. It goes without saying you would not want to get close to a comrade under those conditions.

Sandaime nodded again.

"We've resealed the curse seal, Sasuke. The seal is dependent on your will though, you have to decide not to use it. I don't know, too much is unknown about Orochimaru's curse seals, but if we ever figure out how exactly they work you may be able to master this power. But until we know exactly what the mechanics and risks are, both to you and to others, I ask you do not attempt to repeat what happened last night."

Sasuke nodded.

"Good, we'll take our leave now, though Kagami is ready to continue your training if you feel up to it."

-A bar near the Konoha Hospital-

Tsunade roared with laughter at one of Dan's joke, grabbing the attention of everyone in the bar. Some alcoholic looking man walked up to their table.

"Hey there, the name's Sam. You look like someone who can hold their liquor. How about a friendly contest to win a staff?"

Dan looked at him suspiciously and back to Tsunade.

"Tsunade, I don't think that's a good idea..."

Tsunade attempted to pat Dan's back, accidentally knocking him off his seat into the floor.

"Oh, don't you worry about it! No one can beat me in drinking!"

The man smiled.

"Ha! We'll see about that. This is a special brew, very strong stuff. Let's get started!"

-Some unspecified amount of time later-

"Uhhhh..."

Tsunade woke up and grabbed her head, moaning from the massive hangover.

"I see you are awake."

Tsunade looked up and saw some monk.

"Not so loud...where where am I? What happened?"

The monk shook his head.

"I see you do not remember coming here. You are in the Fire Temple."

Tsunade opened her eyes.

"The Fire Temple? Then you are..."

The monk nodded.

"Yes, I am Chiriku."

Tsunade activated her medic jutsu, re-balancing her internal physiology and clearing her head.

"You better tell me everything, Chiriku."

Chiriku closed his eyes.

"Certainly, but, I'm sorry to ask, Tsunade-sama, but would you mind helping us repair and clean the temple?"

Tsunade looked around, eyes widening in horror at the devastation around her.

-Small Town in Hi no Kuni-

Tsunade looked around. This was definitely the town Chiriku mentioned. She couldn't for the life of her remember what she was doing here, though. She sighed, thinking over what Chiriku had said. What could she possibly want with one of the Fire Temple's lanterns?

"Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade looked around.

"Oh, Shizune? Great, maybe you can help me figure out..."

Tsunade's eyes widened as Shizune grabbed her and began running.

"Come quick!"

"What do you mean, I sold Tonton?! Why the heck would I do that?!"

Shizune shrugged.

"I don't know! You said something about Jiraiya and toads or something!"

Tsunade had no idea what she meant, but felt better now that she could blame Jiraiya for this. She walked up to the building Shizune led her to. Inside was a paper warehouse, with several shinobi were running around, trying to grab a terrified Tonton.

"ENOUGH!"

Tsunade's roar made all the shinobi freeze, and Tonton leaped into Shizune's arms.

"There, there, Tonton. We're here now."

One of the shinobi stepped forward.

"What's the big deal? You gave her to us, fair and square! You said she would guarantee our safety!"

Tsunade crossed her arms.

"Hi no Kuni drinking laws number 20 subsection 1! Any transactions made by someone too drunk to remember are null and void!"

The shinobi just looked at her.

"But, how did you get here if you don't remember?"

Tsunade punched him and sent him flying into the far wall. All the other shinobi looked at Tsunade and gulped.

"Anyone else want to question my memory?"

The other shinobi shook their heads.

Tsunade took a deep breath to release the pent-up rage.

"Good. Come Shizune, we have to find Jiraiya!"

-Bookstore in Konoha-

Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened. Outside of the Konoha bookstore was a massive line of people...comprised mostly of teenage girls and middle-age housewives.

"Wha...what's going on here?"

"Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade turned. She saw her apprentice, Sakura, running towards her with Ino, Hinata, and Tenten.

"Sakura! Great! Tell me, what's going on here?"

Sakura looked confused.

"You haven't heard?"

A vein bulged in Tsunade's forehead.

"Would I have asked you if I had heard?"

Sakura grew a look of pure terror and began bowing.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama! The author of the most famous romance novel in Kaze no Kuni is finally publishing here in Hi no Kuni!"

Tsunade looked confused.

"Um, what?"

Ino swooned.

"I heard it's this amazing love story, and about a vampire!"

Sakura nodded.

"Yea! He's so mysterious, but so chivalrous..."

Tsunade sweat-dropped.

Hinata nervously fidgeted.

"I...I hear there's a werewolf too, and he's so brave..."

Tsunade looked at Tenten. Tenten looked really nervous under Tsunade's disapproving gaze.

"Um, well, uh, you know. Of-Of course I don't really like b-books like this, Tsunade-sama. B-But since everyone else in the village is getting it, I uh, thought I should, well, see what all the fuss was about."

Tsunade sighed.

"Can you believe this...Shizu..."

Tsunade deadpanned as she saw Shizune chatting excitedly with the genin and squealing.

"Not you too...Shizune..."

Tsunade walked towards the door, wondering who could be responsible for all of this. Suddenly a large housewife blocked her.

"Hey! No cutting! I've been waiting all day to get my copy-signed!"

Tsunade just glared at her and everyone else in the line. They gulped and let her pass, then immediately began gossiping about her when they thought she was out of hearing.

Tsunade just stared. There, in the bookstore, was Jiraiya, surrounded by squealing women who were practically throwing money at him.

"Now, now ladies, there's plenty of Jiraiya to go around. Oh hey, Tsunade! Here! I have a signed copy just for you!"

Tsunade stormed up to the table at which Jiraiya was sitting.

"Jiraiya...what is this?"

Jiraiya just grinned.

"Isn't it great? I finally got to publish my first novel aimed at the fairer sex here in Hi no Kuni! And it's all thanks to you!"

Tsunade cracked her fist.

"What do you mean, thanks to me? There's no way I possibly would have helped you poison the minds of an entire generation of kunoichi!"

Jiraiya grinned.

"Well, you see Sarutobi-sensei said the exact same thing! Which was why he banned this novel from the country! But you somehow convinced some company to publish it! Don't know how you got them to do that! But look at this success! I'm already planning the sequels, I might make this a series!"

A vein bulged in Tsunade's head. So selling Tonton WAS Jiraiya's fault, and all to poison the minds of an entire generation. By taking advantage of her while she was drunk. She began pulling back her fist, gathering all of her chakra to it.

"JiiiiiraaaaiiiYAAA..."

Suddenly Tsunade stopped. Jiraiya was holding open a suitcase. A suitcase full of money. A LOT of money. Tsunade started sweating.

"Jiraiya...what is this?"

Jiraiya grinned again.

"Only your first cut of the royalties! We agreed to split the profits! But you know, if you feel bad about poisoning the minds of entire generation of kunoichi, I guess I can keep it..."

Tsunade lunged at the suitcase and began hugging it close to her chest. She could just feel Sarutobi-sensei's immense disapproval not to mention her own personal shame, but she had red on her ledger and this could wipe it out.

"Fine. But you better not put my name on this! By the way, why did I agree to help you again?"

Jiraiya motioned aimlessly.

"Oh, you needed some of the toad oil from Mount Myobuki for some reason. Something about your friend Sam or something. Don't know, you were pretty drunk so couldn't understand half of what you said anyways."

Tsunade's eyes widened as her mind clicked. Sam, that was the man who started all of this!

"Sam, do you happen to know where he went?"

Jiraiya nodded.

"Oh yea, he gave me this note for you!"

Tsunade grabbed the note.

_Hey Tsunade!_

_Thanks for getting all that stuff we needed to fix the staff!_

_Meet me back at the bar_

_Sam_

Tsunade turned a left, trying to drown out the sounds of the horror she had unleashed upon Konoha. She clutched the suitcase tighter as another wave of kunoichi passed her by.

-The bar near the Konoha Hospital-

Tsunade walked in the bar. And there he was, the man who started it all.

Sam raised a cup as he saw Tsunade enter.

"There she is! The woman of the hour! I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it!"

Tsunade sighed and sat back down.

"It was quite the trip."

Sam smiled.

"I thought you might not remember. You had a big night and you've definitely earned the staff!"

Tsunade nodded.

"Yea, I have all the lantern and the oil..."

Tsunade shuddered at the prices that were paid for them. Sam yawned.

"Oh, those. You can throw em out. You see..."

Tsunade gasped and leaped up, ready to fight as a ball of circular energy surrounded Sam. The bar had vanished, and they were surrounded by white nothingness. Were Sam had sat, now stood an imposing figure with red skin, horns, and black, demonic armor.

"I just needed something to encourage you to go out in the world and spread merriment. And you did just that! I haven't had so much fun in at least a millenia!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Who are you? What do you want with me?"

Sam laughed.

"Why so serious, my friend? I'm Sanguine, the Daedric Prince of Debauchery! I've watched you, Tsunade, as you have traveled the world spreading merriment and cheer through the cup and the dice! It was you who spread my influence and restored me to power! I noticed you've settled down here. I just wanted to reward you for your dedication to our cause, and see your good work firsthand before you retired from my service!

Tsunade just stared at him.

"Um, what?"

Sanguine laughed.

"Well, I suppose my name has fallen out of use, but it was you, oh great Tsunade, who brought me back! Here!"

Sanguine tossed her a staff.

"Your reward: the Sanguine Rose. My men are at your disposal, whenever you should need them! Serious fellows, but handy in a pinch! Now I must be going, there's much for me to do now that you're settling down here. But I will never forget you, Tsunade! The Legendary Sucker!"

There was a flash of light, and Tsunade was back in the bar. Sam was nowhere to be seen and no one in the bar looked like they had seen anything out the ordinary. Tsunade shook her head, hoping it was all a dream. But she looked down, and sure enough there was a staff in her hand.

"Bartender, I need a drink..."


End file.
